"Why did you leave me?" The question hung heavy in the air, and Itachi seemed to ponder on it, eyes cast upwards to the starry sky above them. There was a small distance between them, far enough to be just an inch out of her grasp if she outstretched her arm towards him, but he felt close enough, closer than he'd been in months. She knew why she could see him. She was dead, or at least on the brink of death, and the thought didn't seem to make any sort of impact on her. For a second, any fragment of her life was pushed to the backburner, his presence too alluring to let her thoughts flicker to anything else.

"That was never my intention, but I've never really been good at doing things the right way. I was selfish for taking you for myself." His voice was calm, devoid of the usual edge to it that he had never truly been able to shake off, even in most comfortable state, and she quickly summed it up to the fact that he'd been dead for a few months now. There was nothing more for him to stress about. His answer didn't satisfy her, and she found herself feeling more and more upset, until tears were pouring down her cheeks, a silent plea for comfort. "You shouldn't be here, Sakura."

"I know," she replied. He was right, she knew he was. Their child, their son needed her, but she wasn't quite ready to go back. She needed to know a few more things before she could let him go, if that was even possible. She had spent the full of her pregnancy moping his loss, and she was exhausted. She could no longer continue on like that, not with another life to look after. "It's a boy, Itachi. I've birthed you a son."

The smile that adorned his usually stoic features was contagious, and before she knew it, she was smiling through her own tears, overjoyed at his reaction to the news. Itachi closed the distance between them that she had been too afraid to close, and when his arms wrapped around her, she could feel his warmth envelop her whole being. She didn't want to leave, she didn't want the moment to end, but she couldn't leave Karasu to suffer the same lonely upbringing Naruto had.

"What did you name him?" The curiosity gleamed in his dark eyes, and a soft smile splayed itself onto her lips. She brought her hands up to cup his face, amazed at how real everything was in that moment before she answered his question.

"Karasu. Karasu Uchiha." Many had warned her against giving him the Uchiha surname, but it had fallen on deaf ears. While the name carried tragedy and danger, it also carried pride, and she wanted their son to learn about everything that made his clan something to be proud to be a part of. The look in Itachi's eyes let her know he was grateful for it, and it made the small bit of worry that had ebbed itself into her heart at the warnings of all her close friends fade away.

"You need to take care of him. Teach him to love his village as much as I did, as much as you do. Teach him to be a skilled shinobi, Sasuke will help." Before she could protest at the last words, she could feel chakra seeping through her, slowly at first, and then all at once, so familiar. Her shishou. "Don't hate him for something that was out of his control, Sakura."

She nodded her head, too worried about the little bit of time she still had left with him to argue with him, and like always, as if he could read her mind, he pulled her in and kissed her. It had been months since she had felt his lips against hers, and she could feel all of the emotion he put towards it. He knew that was it, the last kiss until her death, and the realization made her eyes water up, and before she could try and blink them away, they were streaming down her face.

"Don't cry for this isn't goodbye, Sakura. It's only until we meet again." She nodded her head, angrily wiping away at the tears that she couldn't seem to slow down, and when she looked up, the last thing she saw was his two outstretched fingers poking her forehead.

...

Air entered her lungs quickly and suddenly. It hurt. Breathing hurt. She could hear the frantic movements and words around her, she could smell the metallic scent of blood, lots of it, hers. Her eyelids felt heavy, and no matter how hard she tried to open her eyes, the task was too difficult for her to accomplish. Half of her wanted to just succumb to her blood loss, but the other half was screaming at her to wake up, to not give up, until she realized the other half wasn't her, but Ino, Tsunade, and Shizune.

"Sakura, I swear to god, if you die, I'll kill myself here and now just to kill you in the afterlife!" Ino's threat rang in her ears, and before she knew it, a laugh had managed to slip past her cracked lips.

Laughing hurt. Her throat was so dry, but before the action could cause her to go into a coughing fit, a cup was placed on her lips and she gratefully took a slow sip. When she finally opened her eyes, the look of relief on the three kunoichi's faces made her feel guilty for putting them through the fear of almost losing her. Her throat still felt sore and dry, but she forced herself to speak.

"K-Karasu?" Ino perked up at the mention of the child's name, and the gleam in her eye let her know that he was safe and sound before her words did.

"Oh, Sakura, he's gorgeous!" Her blue eyes began to water, until she was sobbing at the side of her bed. "I was so worried about you, forehead." It was too soon for words, so she settled for slowly placing a weak shaky hand over the blonde's hand and squeezing with as much pressure as she could.

"Shizune." The medic quickly left the room, but was back as fast as she had left, but with Naruto in tow. Her usually energetic teammate looked drained, but he quickly perked the minute his eyes landed on her, and as he walked towards her bed, she quickly noticed the small bundle in his arms. When Naruto sat in the chair next to her bed, and lifted the bundle towards her, she felt her energy and strength return to her in a quick flash.

Ino hadn't lied. He was gorgeous. He was sound asleep, but she didn't have to see his eyes to know what color they were. Karasu was the spitting image of his father, with his headful of black hair and his fair complexion. As she settled him into her arms, her emotions overtook her, and the tears sprang out faster than she could control him. The amount of love she felt for the child she had conceived with Itachi was unmeasurable, and for a split second she didn't know how exactly to process it all.

"I was worried when he came out without a wail, but it seems he's just a calm child. Just like his father." Her shishous words broke her out of the spell her child had put her under, and at the mention of Itachi, she felt her heart clench. "He hasn't cried not once."

"Kurenai brought over some milk for him so he's been fed, he fell asleep on Naruto." Shizune added.

"Okay, that's enough visiting for today, Sakura has been through a lot, let her take the day off with Karasu. You can all come visit tomorrow." They all solemnly said their goodbyes, until it was just her, Tsunade and Karasu left in the room. "Sasuke came back."

"I figured just as much." Tsunade took a seat where Naruto had sat before and a sigh escaped her lips. While the transformation technique hid her age perfectly, Sakura could see the years she carried on her shoulders peak out through the look in her eyes. The woman had lived through a lot, and she still managed to carry on, something Sakura hoped to be able to accomplish herself.

"He wants to see you two. He's been waiting outside the hospital for two days. I wanted to make sure you were okay with it before letting him in." Karasu gurgled in her arms, his dark charcoal eyes completely awake.

"Let him in." Tsunade nodded her head before slipping out the door. It had been a few months since the war. Since Kakashi had pardoned Sasuke. Sakura had steered clear of the Uchiha, and he had done the same, respecting her wishes to avoid him, something made easier by the fact that he was seldom ever in the village. She didn't hate him. She couldn't hate him. Itachi was right, he had no control over what had transpired. He had just been a pawn in things, it hadn't been his fault, but she couldn't control the resentment she still felt. Sasuke had taken Itachi from her. From Karasu. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. "Come in."

Sasuke walked in, softly closing the door behind him. He looked rough around the edges, but she could still see the boyish wonder in his eyes when they focused on the bundle in her arms. He made no move to get closer, opting instead to stand warily close to the door in case she changed her mind, and she internally chuckled. Here he was, one of the strongest shinobi in the world, nervous to be in the same room as her.

"I saw him, you know." His eyes left Karasu and met her own, realization dawning on them. "I saw Itachi. Come, sit."

She motioned towards the chair by her bed and he slowly made his way towards her until he reached it. When he took a seat, she handed him Karasu, and he carefully took him, making sure to support his head with an awkward elbow. The wonder she had caught a glimpse of in his eyes quickly grew into adoration, and she imagined how Itachi would have reacted had he been there in his shoes. How things would've played out had Sasuke not killed him. The resentment began to burn at her, but she quickly brushed the bitter feeling away, thinking of what Itachi wanted instead.

"This is your nephew. Karasu Uchiha. You will help me train him, teach him wrong from right, teach him about his village and his clan." The words came out a little shaky, but it was him who shed tears. Sasuke had never been one to show any emotion other than anger and hate, but at that moment, the tears that slipped past the bright smile on her face made her smile in return. This was Sasuke. The genuine Sasuke that had been hidden from everyone the moment his clan was no longer. "Teach him about his father."

"He looks exactly like Itachi," he murmured as he wiped the tears away with his free arm. "I'm sorry, Sakura." She quickly shook her head, blinking back tears that were beginning to sting at her eyes. She was tired of crying.

"Don't. Itachi believed in you. Still does. So, I will too." She was surprised when she found she actually believed the words that she had spoken, and it brought comfort to her to know she was making progress. Karasu needed Sasuke in his life, to teach him everything she would not know how to teach him about Uchiha ninjutsu and clan matters. Sasuke had not been the one to revive the clan, but he would be the one to help the first male born after the massacre. He'd be there for his nephew, her son, the way that Itachi had been there for him until he could no longer do it in an obvious manner, for no matter what horrible things Itachi had done, he had always done them with Sasuke in mind.

...

Four years had passed slowly after Karasu's birth, and although most of Konoha still saw her as a traitor, she no longer cared. They'd never know the sacrifice Itachi had made for them, and she had made her peace with it. She walked with her head held high anywhere she went, and she knew it just made the whispers worst, she could hear them when they thought she was out of earshot. Rumors about how she was probably hooking up with her former sensei or with Sasuke, both which she had found hilarious had reached her ears recently, all brought on by her frequent visits to the Hokage tower or to Sasuke's home when he was in the village.

She had grown a steadier friendship with her former sensei. With most of the rookie nine being in relationships, hard at work, or out on missions, she found his company to be something they both enjoyed. She knew Kakashi understood the loneliness, and he never turned her away, even when he himself heard the gossip.

As for Sasuke, he spent every minute he wasn't out of the village making sure everything was looking fine with Karasu, making sure he reached every milestone, something he had been doing faster than the average infant, but with two geniuses as parents, it had only been expected. Karasu was smart, brave, and a fast learner. He was truly the embodiment of his father.

"Mama?" Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the soft tone of his voice, and she looked down from their kitchen island to see Karasu holding a small crow fledging in cupped palms. "He's hurt mama."

Sakura stood from the stool she had been sitting on and crouched down to his height, slowly taking the small scared bird into her own hands. She quickly noticed the odd way his small wing sat, and when she looked at Karasu, the small frown on his face made her heart melt. "Would you like to try to heal him?"

Karasu thought on it for a second, his features quickly contorting into a look of contemplation she had seen on Itachi on many occasions. He wore his hair in the same manner as his father, and had it not been for the missing tear throughs on his face, she'd swear Itachi had been reincarnated. When he finally nodded his head eagerly, she outstretched her palms towards him, making sure the fledging's wing was accessible to his small hands.

He covered the birds wing with his small hands, and when his hands began to glow in the familiar shade of green that medical ninjutsu was, she felt pride at how fast he had learned the technique. When he was done, she ruffled his hair, pressing a kiss to his small forehead. "Good job, Kara. Do you think you can place him back in his nest? I'm sure his mama is worried."

"May I go play with Mirai after? She said she'd teach me the genjutsu she learned from her mama." She nodded her head and Karasu quickly ran out, eager to learn a new jutsu. He took every and any opportunity to learn new things, eager to impress Sasuke and Kakashi, and while it worried her on occasions, she knew it was for his own good. While he had yet to awaken his Sharingan, she knew the moment he did he'd be at risk of getting abducted for his kekkei genkai.

"Did you see it?" Sasuke took a seat next to her and she quickly set her glowing palms on his chest, looking for any injuries she couldn't see. Her eyes met his the moment she noticed his two broken ribs, but she decided not to scold him. If he had gone to Kakashi before coming to her to be healed, she knew it was something important.

"When I was his age I wasn't half as good as he is. At anything." She chuckled softly. She could recall the many stories she had heart about Sasuke from Itachi, and she knew that he was right. Sasuke had ran after Itachi's heels the same way she had once ran after his in their days as genin. The moment she finished healing him, the aura in the room shifted, and she braced herself for whatever the Uchiha was about to come out with.

"I have reason to believe Karasu and I might not be the last two Uchiha."

...

The story kind of played itself out in my mind before I went to bed last night, so I woke up super early to write it out. I knew I wanted to continue Is There Somewhere, I just wasn't sure how, but I think I know where I'm going to go with it. Tell me what you think. Should I have left it alone as a one-shot? Should I continue? Hope you guys enjoy it!