Konoha, about twelve years ago

Kyoko Uchiha, born into one of Konoha's founding clans, was a Kunoichi of great strength and talent. Her rise in the ninja ranks had been swift, and she was known for her reclusive and silent character. Despite her beauty, she had never shown any interest in marriage or family, regarding Konoha and its inhabitants as her true family.

Kyoko had dedicated her life to protecting the village, earning the respect of everyone. After her mother died, shortly after she became Chunin, she lived with her father and paternal grandparents. Unfortunately, her father and grandparents had already been dead for a few years.

Everyone believed that Kunoichi had never had any relationship, not even a fling, and within the clan and village there were even those who insinuated that she was homosexual or had simply decided to make her ninja career her sole reason for living, but you know, life can be unpredictable to say the least.

One morning in January, Kyoko Uchiha went to the village hospital and then went to the Konoha military police headquarters. When she entered the large lobby, the woman sitting behind the large desk, on which the organisation's symbol was drawn, stared at her in surprise.

"Kyoko, I thought you were resting today." Said the woman with the Leaf Village forehead cover tied around her neck. Kyoko approached her with a serious expression painted on her face. In one hand she held a light-coloured folder. "I heard you haven't been well lately." The tone of her voice though gentle irritated Kyoko.

"You should only focus on your work and not pay attention to rumours." She replied in a cold tone and the other half-closed her lips in amazement.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked after a short pause.

"Yes, is Fugaku Uchiha there by any chance? I need to talk to him about an important matter." She affirmed. She was wearing heavy clothes and on the back was drawn the symbol of the Uchiha Clan. Wrapped around her neck was a scarf.

"Yes, he is in his office right now. He is doing some paperwork, but I think you can go." She replied. Adjudging by the look on her face, she was dying to ask her what was going on; however, Kyoko had no intention of telling her, even though she supposed that within a fleeting time, they would all know anyway.

"Thank you," she said, heading for the stairs and going upstairs. She knew that building well. After becoming Jonin she had joined the organisation, working first under the command of Fugaku's father, who was also the head of their clan, and then under the command of his son. She and Fugaku were contemporaries and had attended the academy at the same time and graduated together. Kyoko had risen quickly in an environment with a traditionalist mentality, as had the clan. Together with other women she was proving that a Kunoichi could become as competent and strong as a male ninja.

In a few minutes, she reached the door of Fugaku's office. She knocked and waited for permission to enter.

"Come in." Said Fugaku's voice from inside the room. She opened the door and crossed the threshold. Fugaku was not alone with him was his deputy who was also his aunt's son on his mother's side. Fugaku was sitting behind the desk while his deputy was standing next to him. Both had black hair and the same colour eyes. They looked alike, although the cousin Head of the Uchiha Clan had a bigger nose that had been broken several times in the past and was a bit crooked after the last time.

"Good morning, I hope I'm not disturbing you." She spoke.

"No, it's fine, come on in." Fugaku replied and then turned to his deputy. "Go check on that thing we just talked about and then come back and report back to me." He added turning to his cousin who nodded his head in assent.

"Alright see you later." He spoke. "Bye, Kyoko." He added as he passed by the woman who responded to the greeting. She waited until he had left the room before heading towards the desk.

"Everything all right? I knew you asked for leave today." Said Fugaku. Apparently, he was not worried, but Kyoko knew him well and knew that behind his mask of perpetual indifference was a man who cared about everyone, especially the members of their clan. She placed the folder, on which her name was written, on the desk.

"I went to the hospital for check-ups and got confirmation of what I already suspected: I am pregnant." She announced with an impassive expression. The man's mask of pure indifference broke, and he stared at her in surprise.

"Pregnant?!" He exclaimed in amazement. She played dumb and continued.

"In the folder you will find the hospital report. They told me that both I and the baby are fine, but that I will have to limit the number of tasks on behalf of the police, and obviously, I will not be able to take part in those considered too dangerous. Barring complications, I should be able to work until the eighth month, after which I will be forced to stay at home." She explained with absolute indifference as if she were reporting after a mission and not as if she were discussing an important matter such as a pregnancy.

"But... But who is the father?" He asked. She expected that question was natural for people to ask; however, ever since she had begun to suspect that she was pregnant she had established that pregnancy was her own business, that the child would have only one parent, that there was no need for people to know the identity of the father.

"I am the mother and the only parent that this child and people will know." She replied seriously, perhaps wishing he had insisted, but he did not, and she was grateful for that. Instead, he merely nodded.

"When is the birth expected?" He asked.

"The third week of September." She replied. The baby would be born in late summer or early autumn. She had been told that the delivery date was approximate and that the baby might arrive two weeks earlier or two weeks later.

"Alright, then I guess between July and August you will have to stay home" He observed. "If you want Mikoto has set up a support group for mothers-to-be. There are a total of six women from our clan who have joined so far, if I am not mistaken, one of them should be due in September as well." He continued.

"I don't care." The woman immediately replied. If he was astonished by her cold and quick reply, he did not give it away. "Inside the folder is a copy of the paper stating that I am pregnant at the hospital. They asked me to hand it to you or someone else." She said, returning to the actual reason that had brought her there. He opened the folder and took the paper he was interested in, placed it on the desk, closed the folder and handed it back to her.

"I've been told that I have to go back to the hospital in a month or so to check that everything is going well, but I'll try to make the appointment so that it doesn't fall during one of my shifts." She spoke. "I can assure you as of now that the pregnancy will not hinder my work and that I will continue to work to the best of my ability." She continued.

"You do not have to worry Kyoko. Listen now the thing that matters most right now is the baby is obviously you too. He or she represents the future of the clan." He said and she nodded in agreement.

"Of course, this child represents the future of the clan and the village." She agreed.

"If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I know you are a strong and brave woman, but from now on, there is more than just you." He affirmed and she nodded one more time.

"If there is nothing else, I would go. I have some errands to run." She spoke. Fugaku dismissed her and after saying goodbye she left.

Kyoko's house was not exceptionally large and as soon as she had stepped inside and taken off her shoes, she thought that she would soon have to move to a bigger house that had two bedrooms. She would also have to buy everything the baby might need: clothes, a cot, nappies, bottles, etc. She would also have to find someone to leave the baby with when she went to work; however, she supposed there was time to do all those things.

Kyoko stored the things she had bought inside the kitchen furniture. The door on one of the shelves had broken, and she vowed to have it repaired as soon as possible; maybe she could ask one of her neighbours if she could. After she had finished putting things away, she looked around and noticed that the kitchen was in perfect order and clean. There were only two chairs around the small table, and she mentally put on the list of things to buy a small chair for the child to sit on to feed him.

Shortly afterwards she entered her room, even the bedroom was not enormous and there were only the essentials. Kyoko had always thought that since she was often away from home or even travelling, she did not need such a big house and that the essentials were enough, however with the arrival of the baby. She sat on the bed and without thinking opened a bedside table drawer and took out a small box that was now ten years old. She opened it and fastened the ring inside.

She was barely eighteen when she received that ring. She thought at the time that she might as well do as Mikoto and other women and give up her career as a ninja to be a housewife. Her lips curved into a sardonic smile at that thought, and she let out a sigh. At the time, she was a young woman in love and a bit naive who thought that love was the most beautiful thing in the world and that she and her lover could be happy was truly naive.

They had met at the Academy and then ended up on the same team. Initially, there was a friendly rivalry between them but as time passed, they fell in love. He had been her first and only love, and they had thought they could be together. They had been mistaken.

Ten years earlier he had given her that year with the seal of his clan on it promising her eternal love, and she remembered dreaming of spending the rest of her life with him and wondering if their children would have the Sharingan. Her father and grandparents, however, were adamantly opposed, but she did not care that they disagreed. His family also disagreed, and they planned to run away together to experience their love away from the village.

Eventually, they decided on the day they would leave the village. She showed up on time at the rendezvous point where she waited for her lover to arrive. She waited a long time and when the sun set, she realised that he would never arrive. At first, she thought something had happened to him, but when she went to look for him her cousin told her that he had accepted an engagement with someone else. Of course, Kyoko was shocked by the news and at first, she thought he had been forced, but he himself said that no one was forcing him.

Kyoko's heart broke into a thousand pieces, and she vowed to herself that she would never love anyone else and would concentrate all her energy on becoming a great Kunoichi. Only recently after many years when those who had opposed their union, and also his wife, had died had he revealed to her that his cousin had put him before a choice: either her or the clan and that at heart he had chosen the clan. In the past, the news would probably have devastated her, yet she was no longer the stupid eighteen-year-old girl who had fallen in love with the wrong man.

By now it was too late, or was it? Kyoko had wondered if fate had given them a second chance. Ten years later they had started seeing each other again in secret just like so many years before, and she had thought that fate was giving them a second chance; however, he had left the village in December. Even this time he had not had the courage to speak openly to her and had left her with a letter in which he had revealed that he had stopped loving her many years before. He had not written it clearly, but it was obvious that he had just been having fun, and she had called her stupid for falling for it again.

She probably should have given him back the ring and should also have told him about the baby. She closed the little box and put it back in the drawer. Furthermore, she would give him the ring back if she ever got the chance, or she would give it to his cousin, but she would never tell him about the baby is for what? For it to break her heart just as it had broken his, and then they had never spoken clearly about having children, although she had taken it partly for granted once they were married, and she did not know exactly what to make of that unexpected pregnancy either.

About two months later

Spring was just around the corner. The temperatures had begun to rise and the days to lengthen. Soon the flowers would begin to bloom amidst the grass in the gardens and among the leaves on the bushes and trees. In the blue sky above Konoha that day, there were a few snow-white clouds.

Kyoko's life had not changed much since she had found out she was pregnant. Her workload had decreased and the tasks she was given were less dangerous, and she almost felt as if she had gone back in time to when she was a simple Genin. She knew it was for her and the baby's sake and even a part of her could not help but feel frustrated as well as downgraded in the ninja and police hierarchy. It was not like that of course as soon as she gave birth everything would go back to the way it was, except for the fact that she would have to find someone to look after the baby when she could not, and yet she still felt that frustration.

Through it all, people kept asking her questions about the pregnancy and some even asked her who the father was. That invasion into her private life was beginning to irritate her, and she felt that she was one step away from losing her patience and suspected that in due time, the next person who asked her about the father would answer: why does it matter so much to you? What difference does it make whether this child will have a father or not? And then she had the impression that everyone seemed to care and care more than the child, and she often had the feeling that she was just a container one of those fragile ones that had something very precious inside and that it didn't matter if the container broke as long as nothing happened to the precious object it contained.

There was only one person who seemed to care about her as well as the child: Mikoto. The clan head's wife was a kind and good-hearted woman who, like everyone else, was also curious about who the father of the baby was; however, she was also the one who had shown the most respect for Kyoko and her desire not to want to reveal the identity of the father, and so of all people she was the one with whom she most willingly talked and whose help she was most likely to accept and with whom she willingly spent her leisure time.

That day her friend had invited her to take a walk with her. The two women had arranged to meet in one of the village squares.

Kyoko arrived shortly before the agreed time for the appointment and seeing that Mikoto had not yet arrived decided to sit on a bench in the shade of a tree while waiting. As she waited for their clan leader's wife to arrive, she stared at the people walking past her and the children playing with a ball not far away. Judging from the considerable number of people passing in front of her, there were many who had decided to take advantage of the beautiful day to walk around the village streets.

Kyoko did not know exactly how many minutes she had been sitting on the bench, but it did not seem to her that much time had passed when her friend finally caught up with her. When the other woman saw her, she quickened her pace. She was wearing a long-sleeved dark blue jumper and a long skirt that came down to her knees and carried a light-coloured bag over her shoulder. Kyoko wore on top of her civilian clothes a green sleeveless bulletproof vest that distinguished the clothing of most Ninjas. Unlike her friend Kyoko seldomly went out with a bag because she preferred to store the assorted items, she thought she might need in the pockets of her vest, which was an ever-present element of her clothing, or in the pockets of her trousers.

"Hi, Kyoko sorry I hope I am not late. Have you been waiting long?" She asked sitting next to her on the bench.

"No, don't worry I haven't been long." She replied then her gaze fell on Mikoto's belly. Her belly was getting bigger every day. "You really have a nice belly. Whereas mine still cannot be seen." She added, lowering her gaze and staring at her own belly. When she was unclothed, a small bulge could be seen, but when she was clothed, nothing could be seen yet, and it would probably take a few more weeks for her swollen belly to become visible even when she was clothed.

"Soon you will start to see yours too." She replied then took her hand and placed it on her belly. "Is it moving can you feel it?" She asked smiling.

"Yes, I feel it." She confirmed feeling a strong emotion. "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" She asked looking away from her friend's belly and staring at her face instead.

"I have dreamt of a baby several times since I found out I was pregnant." She said shrugging her shoulders. "It doesn't matter if it will be a boy or a girl as long as it is healthy." She continued. "You, on the other hand, having any idea what it could be?" She asked referring to her belly. The other placed a hand on her belly and lowered her gaze.

"I... I think it is a girl, and I may have already chosen a name. I am not sure yet though I think I will call her Akiko." She replied. "I was told that she should be born in the third week of September in early autumn and Akiko means 'daughter of autumn."

"It is a nice name. I like it." She exclaimed. "On the other hand, if it's a girl, I think I'll call her Fumiko or Hiroko." She continued. "What do you think if we walk a little? Maybe we can go for a drink." She proposed, and before the other could even reply she stood up.

"Alright." Said Kyoko as she stood up.

They walked around the streets of the village staring at the items displayed in the shop windows. Mikoto saw a teddy bear in the window of a toy shop and decided to buy it for her unborn child. Kyoko thought it was too early to buy toys for an unborn child but said nothing. Mikoto seemed incredibly pleased with her purchase and her friend had to admit that the teddy bear was adorable. After buying the toy, they decided to go to Mikoto's house for a drink.

A few minutes later they were sitting at the small table in her living room. Kyoko stared at the matriarch of the can as she poured tea into two cups. After filling the second one she pushed it towards her friend who thanked her then blew on the hot liquid to cool it down.

"How are you, I just realised I haven't asked you yet." Mikoto commented in a displeased tone after taking a sip of tea from her own cup.

"I haven't asked you how you were either." She replied. "I am fine. I am almost no longer nauseous, on the other hand, I am always craving rice." She added. "I have never really thought about the possibility of becoming a mother is occasionally... You will probably misjudge me if I tell you this, though... The thing is, there are days I would rather not be pregnant, and I think this child is an impediment to my career and most people seem to care more about him and the future of the clan and the village." She continued sombrely, bowing her head and staring at the liquid in the cup.

"Motherhood is not easy, and I believe every woman experiences it differently. You are a strong, fighting woman a true Kunoichi. You are a lonely woman who has dedicated your whole self to your career and to protecting the clan and the village. I honestly never thought you would one day become a mother, you did not seem the type." She observed. There was not the slightest judgement in her voice, in contrast her tone was sympathetic. "Being a mother involves joy, but also pain. It is difficult to be a mother or even a father, yet we are the ones who have to carry them for nine months and then have to give birth to them, and childbirth is not exactly a walk in the park." She continued. "They say childbirth is very painful, but I try not to think about it." She said with a wry smile.

"At least you have Fugaku. I do not have anyone beside me." Kyoko replied sombrely, and the smile immediately disappeared from her friend's face. "I loved my child's father. I fell in love with him when I was noticeably young however he did not love me or at least not enough." She added determined to tell her story. "He did not belong to our clan and our respective families did not agree with our union and when the time came, he chose his clan."

"I'm sorry."

"It's been a long time. I think the wound has never completely healed, but now when I think about it hurts much less." Quoth. "After his wife and those who had opposed our union had died, he told me that he had never really forgotten me, and we started seeing each other again. I thought fate had given us a second chance." Continued.

"And what happened?"

"He left, he left the village. He wrote me a read before leaving where he revealed that he had not stopped loving me several years ago. I think he just wanted to have fun."

"You don't need him. You don't need him." Mikoto commented, stretching out a hand and shaking her hand that held the cup.

"I think so too." She replied happily, relieved that Mikoto was not judging her.

Little Itachi was born on June 9, a beautiful boy with dark hair and eyes with two marks on his face. As soon as Kyoko learned that her friend was in the hospital to give birth, she immediately rushed to her and remained by her side during labour, although seeing how her friend suffered from childbirth, a part of her regretted not having stayed out of the room to keep her future father company and tried not to think that in just over three months it would be her turn to give birth.

A few months later, on the first day of autumn, when the inhabitants woke up, they discovered that the beginning of the day and the beginning of autumn would be sanctioned by a light rain that had begun to fall from the sky since the early hours of the morning.

When Kyoko woke up and opened the curtains of her bedroom, she stared at the raindrops sliding down the windowpane. She placed a hand on her belly that had become huge. The deadline had expired three days earlier, but the child did not seem to have realized it and did not give the slightest sign of wanting to come into the world. In her heart, Kyoko, considering the different conflicts between ninjas throughout history and all the blood that had been continuously spilled, could not blame her baby if he were in no hurry to be born and then her womb could be considered the safest place for him or her.

The woman, although she had long since gotten used to the idea of becoming a mother, continued in her heart to have ambivalent feelings towards that little being that had grown inside her and that would inexorably change her existence. The Kunoichi had promised herself to make the child a great ninja who would one day protect the clan and Konoha as she had done until now.

Part of her was worried about when the child would be born, she was afraid that it would be all too clear that he was only half an Uchiha and kept wondering if she would inherit the Sharingan or not. She had long since decided that whether her baby had the Sharingan or not would make no difference to her, but could she say the same about the other members of the clan? And what if they would also find out the truth? She tried to be positive and not think about it; however, it seemed that that bad thought did not want to leave her mind, and she had also had nightmares where she and the child were removed from the clan and sometimes even killed. Nightmares that had done nothing but fuel her anguish.

After making the bed and getting dressed, Kyoko went to the kitchen to have breakfast. She had just finished preparing food when he felt a strong twinge in her belly. She placed one hand on her belly and the other on the table.

"Damn, what was it? Oh, no, it is not that..." Possible that she had gone into labour, if that was the case, then she had to hurry up to go to the hospital. She sighed trying to keep her calm as she remembered that she had been told that labour could be extraordinarily long, especially if it were her first child.

Kyoko had time to eat breakfast and take the strength she had prepared for the hospital and also to send a message to Mikoto who had asked her to warn her when labour would begin.

Being a Kunoichi, she was used to pain, and the pain of childbirth did not seem so different from what she had felt until that moment after being injured on a mission. Mikoto arrived at the hospital shortly after her and when her friend saw her cross the threshold of her room in the hospital, she felt that everything would be fine.

"What did they say?" Mikoto asked anxiously. Kyoko was the one who was about to give birth and yet, ironically, between the two she seemed to be the friend, the more nervous one.

"They said that labour has begun and that we can only bring a little patience for now." She replied, then felt another pang in his stomach. "Oh, this contraction felt stronger." She commented, placing a hand on her swollen belly, she was lying on the bed under the sheets and wearing a nightgown she had bought for the occasion.

"I brought you a gift." Mikoto announced, pulling a small box out of the door. "Actually, it's for the baby." She specified. The other took the box and when she lifted the lid, she saw a silver chain with a pendant hanging that depicted the fan symbol of their clan.

"It's really nice, thank you."

"I thought that since the child will also be a member of the Uchiha Clan, it was an appropriate gift."

"But he or she will only be half an Uchiha." Kyoko replied without taking her eyes off the pendant.

"It doesn't matter, he's going to be a member of the clan and that's what counts." Mikoto replied without hesitation. "The village will always be your home and his and the clan will always be your family." Continued. Kyoko was not entirely sure Mikoto would say the same thing if she knew the whole truth, but she nodded in response.

"Thank you." Instead, she said.

Akiko was born after almost nine hours of labour. She had silver hair and black eyes. Silver hair was certainly not typical of the Uchiha Clan, and her mother wondered if there was a possibility that as she grew her hair would turn dark, however she suspected that it would not happen. On the contrary, the eyes seemed identical to her.

"It's perfect." Mikoto said smiling. She had sat on a chair next to the bed. The matriarch of the clan took the necklace from the box and placed it around the neck of the newborn girl who was wrapped in a dark-coloured blanket.

Later, while Kyoko was resting, Mikoto approached the window of the room with the newborn in her arms. The heads of the Hokage carved into the mountain could be seen in the distance.

"You were born into one of the most important and strongest clans in Konoha, you must be proud of it, little one." She said, staring at the child's sleeping face. "I didn't give your life, but I already feel that I love you very much, and I promise you right now that you can always count on me." Added. "I hope you and Itachi grow up to be great friends." She said, then she raised her head and stared at the sky. It had stopped raining, even if the sky was still cloudy.