Hello! I hope you'll like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 23

Naruto, Sasuke: 18

Shisui: 27

Kakashi: 32

My skin was peeling. To reach the damaged tissue close to the surface, Tsunade-san's chakra was staying a lot more on my skin. It was making it peel like a bad sunburn. She also decided to make me have a full check-up while I was here, with blood tests, a full body scanner and stuff like that.

Except for my arm, everything healed correctly.

I left the room to go to Itachi's. He was glaring daggers at the wheelchair in a corner of the room.

"Are you ready to go home?" He nodded. "Hey, the wheelchair helped you a lot, don't glare at the poor thing."

"I enjoy walking." He stood up, a crutch under his left arm. He looked down at his foot. "It's always the same side."

"There's no fun if both your legs are messed up the same amount," I replied, grabbing his bag with my right hand. "Is that all?" He nodded and we left. We said 'hi' to my mom, who sighed at seeing Itachi up and leaving unlike her. I kissed her on the cheek. Once the paperwork done at the desk, we left.

Itachi was quicker than I thought he would, I still slowed down my pace to match his. He was surprisingly quicker to climb the stairs than walk.

"And…welcome home!" I said, opening the door wide. I let Itachi go first and closed the door behind us.

Sushi meowed and followed him until he was sitting in the couch, jumping on his lap immediately. Itachi smiled at her and petted her beneath her chin.

"Are you hungry?"

"Can you even cook?"

"I had Sasuke pick up ramen for us." He shot me a quick glance.

"Maybe later." He gestured me to sit in the couch too. I did, bringing two glasses of water with me.

Itachi pulled me against his chest the second I sat in the couch, keeping me there. Sushi was happy, getting double the amount of petting now.

We were home. I would not stay here for too long, but still, it was hard to realize we were home, alive and that the Kaguya chapter was closed for good.

I didn't want to think about the moon stuff or anything else right now. I was way too happy to snuggle against my breathing boyfriend, petting our car quietly.

"What are you going to do for your nodachi?"

"I haven't thought of it, it's in the guest room in Kiri. I feel bad for ruining it."

"I don't think your grandfather would hold it against you knowing the circumstances." I wiggled my finger in front of Sushi's face, who stopped it with her paw to nibble on it. "Who would have thought I would score an heiress though?"

"Is it the only thing you remember?"

"It's such a strange thing to consider knowing you." I rolled my eyes. "Not that it matters anyway. I don't care about your social status." I raised my face to kiss him.

"What happened in the Infinite Tsukoyomi?" He tensed. "I mean, if you don't want to tell me it's fine but…"

"What did you see?"

"Me? You, me and the twins living happily ever after. Waking up was rough." He stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"My father was there, alive. We went to Naruto eighteenth birthday party. Everybody was here except Shisui because he was a jounin-sensei and apparently, he was very happy in this role." He seemed to be debating whether to continue. "We were married and dating since just before my surgery, I knew everything before Sasuke and you left for Kiri."

"That's an odd change."

"I think my mind just took what it wanted from this life and the one before. We…had the twins at the same date." I straightened up at that. "I was the Hokage, but you never were the Mizukage because you had a pregnancy denial and when you discovered it, they kicked you out or something, there was no war and…it was so real." He turned my face so that I looked at him. "She…sounded so much like you too…"

"You wanted it to be real," I whispered to him. He nodded sheepishly. "There's no shame in admitting it Itachi, it does sound nice." Only God knew that if I could, I'd get the twins here too.

I kissed his forehead and hugged him as tightly as I could.

"Is it because of what you told me at your grandparents?" Sasuke nodded, twirling his ramen with his chopsticks.

"When you told me my father was dead, I just went numb, and went even number when Itachi confirmed it. As we were fighting, and Naruto was doing all these things…I wanted to know why he couldn't do this before my father stepped in to save his life. The anger…it just kept growing as we kept fighting and when the Rikudo asked me what I was going to do, I told him I'd find my own path one way or another. The bijuus were a way to make Naruto fight me seriously."

"Sasuke…"

"I think…I also wanted him to show me my father did not die for some fool." I put my hand in his hair. "I'm sorry for using the Sharingan on you Akane."

"You're forgiven. Are you better now at least? When your father died, the Curse of Hatred just came back all at once so…"

"I think so. The anger there was always in me regarding Naruto…it's gone, I feel lighter now." I smiled at him before eating some of my noodles.

"That's good then!"

"With that being said, I want to punch him at the moment." I frowned. "He can't keep avoiding my mother like that."

"Oh, this. I told her I'd bring Naru to her while I'm here, so don't worry about it." I pursed my lips. "And apart from that, are you okay?"

"Hum? I guess." If I knew one thing, it was that when you'd lose someone, it was better not to push if they did not want to talk about it.

"I heard you and Sakura kissed before the war?" He choked on his broth.

"Itachi!" I chuckled at his blush. "She kissed me."

"And since?"

"…it's as if nothing ever happened." He looked at me. "Did you really give me mouth to mouth by the way?"

"How do you know?"

"It was the first thing your dad told me when I woke up." I sighed.

"Well, you were on the verge of dying and you couldn't drink on your own, I had to make you somehow. It's not kissing."

"I know that. It better not." I raised a brow. "Sakura gave Naruto mouth-to-mouth too when Kurama was removed from him."

"Oh right…Look at you three, growing up and all that!"

"Hum…is Itachi okay at home?"

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't…get angry out of sudden or stuff like that?"

"I did notice he has less patience than before when he drops something or if an appliance isn't working right, but nothing against me or the cat. Why?" He sighed and leaned his cheek in his hand. He glanced at me thoughtfully.

"We are cleaning up Father's belongings to see who wants to keep what or what should be donated, this kind of stuff. He just…tends to snap easily." I furrowed my brows.

"Really?" He nodded.

"Not at Mom though, at me." Since when did he call Mikoto-san "Mom" instead of "Mother"? "He says I should be more involved in what Father left behind."

"You don't have to get into details right now, but did Itachi and you…talk about it? About losing your father?" He shook his head. "He didn't tell me either. Look, these are complicated times, I'm sure it's not against you Sasuke."

"Hn." He looked to be deep in thoughts. "I think I'm going to leave on a trip soon." I was taken back.

"For what reason?"

"Just…think, about where I'm going, especially now I have this," he replied, putting a hand over his rinnegan. "Obito and Madara also stained the Uchiha name again, if I can restore it even just a little, then I'd like to do that."

"Good for you then. But if you really want to do that, you should get Tsunade-san to accept quickly."

I put some money on the counter and left. If Itachi were to be the Rokudaime, then I wasn't sure if he'd grant Sasuke his request of leaving. He might just see it as his brother running away.

I stopped in the middle of the street, looking up at the gray clouds in the sky. It was mid-November now, Tsunade-san told me I'd be good to go in ten days. I was worried for Itachi. I didn't want to force him to open up to me, but at the same time, with what Sasuke just told me…

"Akane?" I looked back. Shisui was leaving the grocery store with two full bags of groceries.

"Are you cooking for an army?"

"Haha, hilarious. Now that you're here, give me a hand, would you?" I rolled my eyes and took one bag in my right arm. "Hey, even with one arm you can carry it!"

"Shut up." I walked with him to his place, telling him he was invited to see me wear a big blue and white hat if he wanted to. Once at his place and the groceries on his table, I glanced at them. "Seriously, are you expecting people?"

"No, I'm just going to cook for myself." I raised a dubious brow at him, and he cleared his throat. "I figured, I'm twenty-seven now, I'm a grown man, I should be able to cook some proper food for myself."

"You really should." I looked around. "You've also started to change things around here?"

"A lot of it was Manami's tastes, I just went with it. It was my apartment before, I want it to feel like it." I smiled at him. He was moving on; it was a good thing.

"Well, don't jump in a relationship too quickly from now on, okay?"

"Yeah, I've learned my lessons." I pursed my lips. "What is it?"

"Can I ask you for a favor?" He raised a brow. "Would you keep an eye on Itachi once I'm gone, please? I'm worried he's not processing Fugaku-san's passing in the best way possible."

"It's not as if there was a good way to process this kind of change." He sighed. "But yes, of course."

"Thanks." I started to leave but stopped, my hand on the door handle. I looked at him above my shoulder. "Don't burn down your place Shisui."

"Could have just a little bit of faith in me?" I deadpanned at him. "Never mind, leave." I did.

Itachi was in the spare room when I got home. I blinked in shock at the mess on the floor.

"How was your lunch with my brother?" he asked me without looking up.

"Good, we talked. Then I helped Shisui bring back his groceries because he's decided to learn how to cook properly for himself." He scoffed at that.

"I'm not going to be his guinea pig."

"Hey, if he wants to share his newfound talent…just handle it."

"So, did Sasuke complain about me?" I was taken back once more. He briefly glanced at me and shook his head, annoyed. "He did, didn't he?"

"Are you frustrated with him?"

"He's barely home since the war ended and isn't even helping regarding the clan Akane, so yes, I am frustrated with him and his behavior."

"Maybe he's dealing with this in a way tha…"

"Would it kill you to side with me and not him just once?" he interrupted me coldly, glaring at me. I was stunned and at a loss for words.

"I'm just trying to see both sid…"

"Leave." I didn't move and he narrowed his eyes a little. "Akane, leave this room now." This time I did. He was serious.

I went to the living-room and leaned on the table. I tried not to take it seriously or against me, but it was not easy. I…no, he had to come on his own or he'd be withdrawn. He wouldn't yell at me, but I wouldn't put it above him to use the silent treatment. Maybe not straight-up ignoring I was there but…yeah…

I really hated this in him. I knew he was not talking to…calm himself down but…

That night, he didn't come to bed, staying in the spare room instead.

"Naruto, I am telling you she does not hate you and wants to see you, I'm going to be there so just, trust me, okay?" He wouldn't stop staring at the Uchiha emblem at the Compound entrance. I nudged him with my shoulder. "Come on war hero." I crossed my arm with his and started walking.

The Compound felt and was less lively, but it was normal. Many Uchihas were kicked out, and then the war.

However, it also was warmer and more welcoming than it used to be around my failed wedding with Sasuke.

We were quickly in front of the Uchiha household. I knocked and opened the door.

"Mikoto-san? We're letting ourselves in!" She appeared in the staircase, a box in her arms.

"My, what a surprise!" She gave me the box and took Naru to the living-room. "What can I get you Naruto?"

I followed them and put the box down next to the table. It was quiet for a few minutes, Naruto uncomfortable under Mikoto-san's gaze.

"I don't resent you Naruto, and neither should you," she ended up telling him. She proceeded to tell him what she told me, and that while her husband was gone, she still had her sons and the only reminder she had from her late best friend. Naruto shed a few tears and the Uchiha matriarch hugged him.

It was then we heard voices. Mikoto-san stood up immediately, a furious expression on her face.

"Akane, how is Itachi at home?" I opened my mouth and averted my eyes instead, attracting hers and Naru's glances.

"He hasn't talked to me in two days and sleeps in the spare room. I mean…I had ramen for lunch with Sasuke two days ago, Sasuke is frustrated with him because he snaps at him and then Itachi said I never took his side and told me to leave him alone and…" I sighed, looking down sadly.

"He started to be colder yesterday, and it became electric between the two." I stood up and she took my wrist. "It is not your fault Akane, okay? Itachi is taking Fugaku's death hard, and he does not know how to deal with it. Going through his belongings made him understand his father would not come back." I nodded and we followed her to the voices.

As we neared what used to be Fugaku-san's study, there were two shadows getting closer to the shoji. A fist went through it and straight in my nose. I would have fallen from the engawa if it was not for Naru's reflex. I still ended up on my knees.

"THAT'S IT!" Mikoto-san yelled, opening the shoji wide. Itachi was on one knee, wide eyes on us. Sasuke was in front of him, his arm still stretched out, wide eyes also on us.

In one swift movement, she slapped both her sons and they were sitting on their knees in front of her.

"I don't care about your reputation or how strong you became, if you can't be civilized to each other, under my roof, act like children then I'll treat you as such!"

"He said he wanted to leave the village," Itachi told her immediately, Sasuke rolling his eyes. The first time I heard his voice in two days was to snitch on his brother.

"I know, Sasuke and I have talked about it already. If he feels it is what is best for him, then I can only encourage him." Itachi looked downright offended. Sasuke smirked. "Don't you smirk young man, you threw the first punch at your brother and hurt someone else instead!" He shot me a quick look, ashamed.

"She looks fine." Itachi glared at his brother.

I moved my hands a little and showed my bloody nose to Naru. He looked disgusted and poked it.

"It's broken," I whined under my breath.

"Naruto, there is a first aid kit in the closet of the living-room, take care of Akane there." He nodded and pulled me on my feet.

Even once in the living-room, we could hear Mikoto-san's voice. I knew her anger would be terrifying, and I was right.

Naruto wiped my nose carefully and disinfected it.

"Why didn't you tell me Itachi was not talking to you?"

"Preparing the party for Mom was more important Naruto. It sucks, but there's only so much I can do for him while he is grieving. I'll be here when he's ready."

"You'll be in Kiri nee-chan."

"It is fine Naruto." He did not look convinced.

"I'm just…scared. I'm scared you'll try to make this work too much because of him dying on you once that you'll accept some stuff that are not right." I tried to smile at him, but it hurt.

"Well then, you'll be there to punch him for me?" He nodded. "Good."

"I have to agree on something though." I raised a brow. "You always take Sasuke's side."

"I know," I admitted. He was taken back. "I identify a lot to Sasuke, be it before or now and…" I sighed. "It's messed up to admit, but before? We were like siblings, acted like it, and for longer than him and Itachi did. I'm sure there were times where Itachi thought I was overstepping my boundaries but…I wanted to keep him from the Akatsuki and the dark side more than anything else. I know it hurts you and I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven nee-chan. When we fought…I had a glimpse of what you tried to prevent and what could have happened." He grabbed his right arm. "I still have my arm dattebayo!"

"Yeah, you both got me worried when I woke up," I told him with a pointed look.

"Sorry for worrying you nee-chan." I sighed.

"Well, knowing what was expected of you both, it was hard not to."

The three Uchihas were in the room with us a few minutes later. Their mother cleared her throat when they were silent for a little too long.

"I'm sorry for punching you," Sasuke told me.

"We're sorry for making a scene," Itachi continued, none of them looking at each other.

"Yeah, forgiven," Naruto replied quickly.

Without a word, Itachi knelt next to me and gently cradled my jaw. He moved my face toward him and put his free hand on my nose, healing it. I felt the bone going back to normal and rubbed it once it was done.

"Thanks." I stood up and pulled Naru up with me. "We should go, we have a party to plan for Mom."

"Don't buy dessert, I'll make it," Mikoto-san told us. "I know exactly what to do and it will take my mind off things."

"Well then, I'll trust you for that." We started to leave, Itachi following us. I looked at him once I had my shoes on, Naru waiting outside. "Yes?" He remained quiet.

I tip-toed so that my mouth was in front of his ear.

"I still love you." On this note, I left.

Mom would come home two days later, with her prosthetic, so with Naru we were planning a welcoming party. There were decorations, and food, and drinks, and people to invite. We didn't want too much either, I knew my mother enough to know she'd want to rest in her own bed.

So far, it was Team Seven, Mikoto-san, Itachi, Shisui, Fuu, Tsunade-san, Hinata and Iruka-san.

Naruto invited Hinata first, not me.

"Have you been eating instant noodles only?" I asked my cousin as I was at the door, the night very present outside.

"No, I bought take out too." I furrowed my brows. "I'm joking, Aunty taught me some basic stuff to do. It's not the tastiest food, but it is balanced."

"Good." I borrowed an umbrella. "I'll come again tomorrow I think."

I ran under the rain and shook my head once in my building. I climbed the stairs, looking for my keys.

I was greeted by Sushi and the warm smell of food cooking. I removed my shoes, put my umbrella away and quietly went to the hallway. I poked my head in the kitchen, Itachi stirring his dish. The table was dressed for two.

"I'm home?" I said awkwardly. It seemed to get him out of his thoughts as he raised his head in a flash.

"Welcome home," he replied quietly. I beamed at that.

I went to the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. When I opened the door, Itachi was in front of it, holding a bouquet of cuckooflowers with some red roses in it. He handed it to me and left once I took it. I watched him leave and looked down. There was a note in the flowers. I took it and smiled faintly once I read it.

'Sorry for being bad at emotions' he wrote neatly.

I went to the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase while Itachi was putting his dish on the table. I put the flowers on the other end of the table and hugged him before he could sit.

"I accept your apology." I looked up at him. I could see he was relieved. "Can I kiss you?" He nodded and I kissed him gently on the lips. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he replied quietly. I kissed his cheek and looked down.

"What did you make?"

"I tried homemade ramen."

"Oh wow!" I sat down, like him. "Itadakimasu!" I dug in. I was struggling between the chopsticks and the spoon as my left arm was still in a splint, but it was not bad. "It's not bad Ita…" He was not at his spot, neither was his chair.

"Let me." I looked next to me. He was there and now had my chopsticks in his hand, like the spoon. He blew on the noodles and put it to my mouth.

"I can eat on my own Itachi."

"You're struggling," he stated flatly. He pressed the noodles more against my lips as I blushed. "Now eat." I did.

"It's not bad," I mumbled weakly.

"Hn." He kept feeding me, forgetting his own meal. I was blushing, embarrassed and avoiding his gaze as much as I could. At some point, he gently put his finger under my chin to make me look at him. He was smirking faintly.

Once we were done, I was in a hurry to get up and I spilled my glass of water on Itachi. We both looked at the water directly on his crotch and I crouched next to him, hiding my face.

"I'm sorry, it's not on purpose."

"I wouldn't mind if it was." I blushed even more. He stood up and pulled me on my feet. "Can we have a bath together?" I would have said yes if it was not for my left arm. It was peeling but now, there were blisters on the parts that had been the most "damaged" by my Sage Mode.

It was mainly around the mark directly, the wrist and almost everywhere on my hand. In a way, Itachi ignoring me meant he did not have to see that, and it was fine by me.

"I can't get it wet," I told him, pointing at my left arm. "I'll take a shower tomorrow morning." I almost fled to the bedroom.

I took a new bandage roll, cream, disinfectant, cotton disks and anything I might need. Then, I shut the blinds and carefully removed my splint, then my sweater and shirt, leaving me in my plain black bra. I removed the left strap a d started removing the bandage.

It was not pretty. As Tsunade-san started to heal me, she noticed the burns started next to my left breast and then went down my arm. If I had used more, it would have reached my seal on my stomach and damaged what was around there, ultimately damaging any organ in my abdomen.

Basically, she told me it could have been a lot worst.

Now, everything above my elbow was fine. The skin on my forearm was still peeling, quite badly. The more she healed the damage, the more it brought it to the surface to…expel it. There was residue of senjutsu in my tissues, and nerves the closer it was to my mark that she needed to cleanse. She did not know if it was Umiko's seal that caused this or if it reduced the effects of me using fuinjutsu and the Hiraishin and coming up with new things on the spot in Sage Mode but…it was bad. She even told me Dai noticed all of that and wrote in his report but didn't tell me to keep me from stressing over it.

Anyway, expelling these residues to the surface was draining the burns to the surface. Any stuff that would work on regular sunburns were not useful here. I kept putting cream on my skin to prevent the scarring as much as possible but…well…

"And…I bled," I commented, removing the bandage around my hand. I had blisters on four fingers, some smalls, one the size of half a finger. The back of my hand was super dry, the blister from yesterday I accidently popped needing to be disinfected. I accidently popped the one in the palm of my hand with my fingernail.

Of course, the skin was also hypersensitive. The pain would already come and go during the day since Tsunade-san started healing me, and if I touched it, it would be even more painful. I liked to think I had a good pain tolerance but…it was like nothing I had experienced before. Not in term of intensity, just…the injury itself.

The blisters in themselves were weird. There would be a bump that would grow and grow until it turned into a blister. It developed more like a very deep, very painful pimple than a blister.

"You didn't tell me it was that bad." I was startled and looked above my shoulder. Itachi quickly came up to me, throwing the towel around his neck on the desk.

"You were not in a talkative mood." He frowned as he sat me down. "I didn't know it was that bad myself until my skin started to peel. If I had used the Sage Mode more…it would have damaged my organs at some point." I tried to grab something, but he slapped my hand. "But I have to…"

"I'll do it, just stay still." I tried to remove my arm, but he kept me from doing so. "Akane, please."

"I can do it on my own."

"I know, but you don't have to." I opened my mouth. "I want to take care of you, please." I blinked and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Alright. The bandage needs to be tight, but not too much to avoid compressing the blisters." He nodded and got to work.

He was better at it than me too. He took care of my arm meticulously, inspecting every inch of it to make sure it was properly taken care of before bandaging it.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" I looked at him weirdly.

"Of course."

Sleeping was awkward too. It was not Itachi who was on his side, his back to me that was disturbing. From how he was talking to me, he was careful not to get too close too quickly after ignoring me, testing the waters.

No, what was uncomfortable was that I could not sleep on my left side, toward the window. I had to sleep on my back or on my right, even if I was better on my left side. I didn't sleep very well either because the pain sometimes woke me up.

You could say I had not had a good stay in Konoha so far.

I woke up in the middle of the night. Itachi was still here, but I had no idea if he was sleeping or not. I quietly got up and went to the living-room. I wanted to go on the balcony, but it was still raining.

Tsunade-san had forbidden me to use Hyouton to relieve the burning sensation in my arm when it was too much.

I opened the freezer and tried to put my left arm right in front of it.

Itachi turned on the lights and shot me a quizzical look.

"It's burning inside, and I can't do anything about it but wait it goes away," I explained briefly.

"Don't you have pain killers?"

"They're not working regarding anything with my left arm." I sighed. "I made a risky deal; I just have to own up to it."

"You do that every night?"

"When the pain gets too bad." He stared at me. "The pain comes and go, in the day and night, that's all."

"You didn't tell me."

"You had and still have other things to worry about, and it's not like you can do anything about it." He frowned.

"Still, I thought we agreed that…"

"To tell you when there was something wrong? Even if I had wanted to, you were not speaking to me Itachi." He flinched back. "I'm tired, I'm in pain, so let's not get into a fight right now."

"I don't want to get into a fight either." I closed the freezer.

"Then don't reproach me for something." I went back in the room, and he followed me.

"I thought it was obvious than if it was health-related, we'd communicate," he stated firmly, following me.

I threw my pillow at him. He caught it, stepping back in surprise. He looked at it and walked to the bed, dropping it on it. He looked up at me that I threw him on the bed, his pillow in my hand this time and hit him repeatedly with it. I straddled him to aim better, and he tried to protect himself with his arms, raising a leg, his knee now in my back.

I kept hitting him for at least five minutes. I was panting by the time I was done.

"Feeling better?" he asked me, warry of me. I gulped and nodded, getting off him. I put his pillow back and sat on my side, my back against the headboard.

"I thought I'd stop feeling powerless once the war over," I said after five minutes of none of us speaking. Itachi sat next to me, his shoulder touching mine.

"You were not powerless then, and you're not now."

"That's not how I felt at the funerals," I hissed under my breath. "And I know, in a way, but then you got angry at me and stopped talking and it just…made me feel powerless." He took my hand, slipping his fingers through mine.

"I didn't act the right way, but there is not much you can do for me right now."

"That's the thing, I know that yet I just…"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, I take Sasuke's side too often," I apologized. "I worried too much of what is going on in his head."

"I know," he replied in a whisper. He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "And I knew I should apologize the very night I snapped at you, but I saw your face and I was too ashamed of my behavior to face you. If it was not for my mother's scolding, I'm not sure if I would have mustered the courage to face you."

"I'm not that scary." He smiled a little.

"No, but you can break me with just a look." I blushed a little, flexing my toes.

"What did she tell you?"

"She said I shouldn't use her or Sasuke as justifications for being angry, and that because they didn't show it the same way did not mean they were not affected the same way." He pursed his lips. "Sasuke calls her 'Mom' now."

"I was surprised by this too."

"It was Father's decision. Once he was born, I switched to 'Mother' and 'Father' to be a proper heir in training. Sasuke had to switch when he entered the Academy, in case he'd take my spot. He struggled at first and was scolded by Father for calling her 'Mom' once at the dinner table." He looked up, squeezing my hand in his. "When he called her 'Mom', I just…it felt like he was happy that Father was…"

"He's not processing it yet," I shared with him. "He's clearly not processing it yet, but the change of word may mean he's looking for a closer parental bond to make up for the one he lost."

"You should be a therapist." I chuckled.

"Yeah no, as much as I care about my family's mental health, I can't deal with strangers' shit and my own." It was silent. I shot our hands a quick look.

His was starting to shake.

"My dad is dead Akane," he stated weakly. "He's not coming back, and everything is changing at the same time and…"

"You're going to get through it. I could, so you can."

"They want me to take the hat." He sniffed, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Tsunade-sama told me it was between Kakashi-san and me and that he didn't want it. It's…"

"I know." He looked at me. "I've known you were both candidates for a few months now."

"You didn't tell me?"

"It was not my place to tell you such news."

"So that's why you were saying I wouldn't move to Kiri." I smiled faintly.

"It was nice to hear it though. If you want the hat, I'll support you."

"You're going to be in Kiri, and I'll have the clan to deal with, it's…"

"A lot, I know. But, if I'm not living here, then whatever project of ours will have to wait so you'll have the time to focus on your clan and…potentially the village." He furrowed his brows.

"Marry me." I moved my face back.

"No, not yet." He sighed. "Why now?"

"I need…stability, right now." He knocked his forehead against mine. "But you said, 'not yet'."

"Give it a few more years, maybe you'll wear me down." He chuckled a little. The tears in his eyes remained though.

"He's really gone, isn't he?" I pursed my lips.

"I'm sorry my love," I whispered to him. He closed his eyes as the first tear fell.

I just hold him, letting him crush me against his chest as he cried for Fugaku-san.

I cried with him for a while after all. I had known the man for ten years. We had had rocky moments but…he was a good man, and I respected him a lot.

It broke my heart to think that, if Sarada happened this time around, they still would not get to know each other.

Hey! Thanks for reading and please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter!

Bye!