AU: Hello there people! I am not dead! *dodges multiple arrows, weapons, and other pointy objects*…..Ok I know you might be slightly mad-

Everyone: SLIGHTLY?!

AU: T^T I'm sorry, but here is the EXTRA SUPER LONG conclusion to this epic!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Itachi sat at the small brown desk similar to the multiple others lining the room. His shift was almost done, only a few more minutes and he could run away from this horrible nightmare called "cubicle work"! He smiled for a brief moment before his eyes drifted over the only decoration adorning his desk.

A simple blue picture frame set just to the left of his monitor, a small boy no older than about 5 years old waving excitedly to the camera with a big grin on his face. The child had midnight black hair wildly tied back with rubber bands to keep it away from his messy hands, and his gold eyes seemed to call out to Itachi just from the simple photo.

The black haired man felt his eyes glisten just at the memory that simple photo held, lovingly tracing a finger over the edge of the frame as a single whisper escaped his lips.

"Kasumi…"

FLASHBACK 6 YEARS PRIOR

Itachi opened his eyes to the startling white room in front of him, pain coursing through his entire chest cavity. He groaned before propping himself up, absent mindedly flexing his fingers to get the blood flowing back in them. "God…What did I drink last night and why does it feel like I was hit by a fucking semi?..."

"Heh, good to see your dry sense of humor is still intact Nii-san." Itachi looked up and blinked slowly, recognizing his brother and his blonde boyfriend hovering over his bed. "You've been out for a while now, no wonder you look like shit."

Ah yes. His oh so subtle brother. How could he ever live without his caring tendencies?

Itachi sighed again before taking a deep breath, relieved to find his earlier pain had settled to a dull ache. "Serious little brother, what happened? It's all a blur for me…"

Sasuke shifted in his seat, seeming to get a little closer to him. "You had a mild heart attack…The doctor said if we hadn't gotten you here when we did it might have taken a harder toll on you… You had me really worried Nii-san." He said softly, looking down at his hands. "I…I didn't know what to do or h-how to think…Kisame was the one who…" he trailed off, averting his gaze.

The elder brother smiled and ruffled his hair softly, earning a glare in response. "You did everything you could little brother. Everything is alright now, the danger has passed. Speaking of which, where is Kisame?... He must be worried sick by now." He looked around the small room, trying to find any trace of the blue man.

Naruto cleared his throat softly, gaining the man's attention. "You see Itachi…uh….Kisame is…well…"

"He's off fucking around with Lance again. He told me to let you know he's done with you." Sasuke growled, his hands balling into fists. "I swear Nii-san, I'll fucking kill him. This is the last time he'll ever do this to you-"

"You're right."

"I mean there you go again! Defending him like- wait, what?" Sasuke looked up in surprise, expecting an argument of epic proportions but instead was left with a shell of a brother. "What do you mean?"

Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, untangling it briefly as he looked toward the white walls. "Kisame and I have been very…unstable to say the least. If he truly wants to be with Lance then so be it. I can't keep coming to his rescue whenever his feelings get hurt. I'm the knight in shining armor while my damsel in distress is in another castle." He sighed again and looked to the younger Uchiha, giving a small broken smile. "My life has revolved around him for far too long… I'll always love him, but I can't force him to love me."

The younger brother watched on, admiring the strength and willpower his idol was showing even though he knew it tore him to pieces. "You're too good for him Nii-san…" He choked out, feeling the familiar sting in his eyes.

"No Sasuke…I'm just a man. A man whose spent his life on the battlefield and is finally done." Itachi smiled softly at his younger brother and yawned, the full after effects of his body taking a toll on him."If you don't mind…I think I'm going to take a little nap…"

Naruto smiled softly, gently placing a hand on his lover's shoulder and nodded toward his brother. "Of course. We'll be down in the cafeteria getting something to eat."

Itachi nodded and waved them off, curling up in his warm hospital sheets, the two of them leaving him to rest. He was very strong in his resolve, he felt in his heart that he really could get over Kisame. But there was one thing that still nibbled at the edge of his mind.

"I'm pregnant…"

He knew the probability that the child wasn't his, he knew for a fact that there was times where Kisame cheated dring their relationship, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel the urge to take care of the child growing inside of his former fiancé. He had spent many nights stroking his belly, reading child books to it, doing everything in his power to make sure the child could grow up in a comfortable, loving environment. He drifted to sleep, dreaming of how the baby might look when it was finally born.

The next day Itachi was released from the hospital, and two weeks later the baby was born. Itachi walked up the steps to the hospital's main entrance, palms sweating as they clutched nervously at a bouquet of flowers in one hand, a big blue box wrapped in a silky white boy tucked under his arm. He stepped into the elevator, letting his emotions show through as soon as the doors closed before him.

'What if the kid looks nothing like me?' He thought to himself, nervously picking at the ends of the bow.

'What if I've done all of this for nothing? What if Sasuke was right this whole time and the baby isn't even mine?' He couldn't help to be nervous, for the past couple of weeks he had been going back and forth with his brother, trying to convince him, and himself, that there was no chance that Lance could be the baby's father.

The doors of the elevator suddenly opened, jarring Itachi from his thoughts as he stepped out into the hall. Thanks to a little sleuthing, and some time spent flirting with the office clerk, Itachi was able to find the room Kisame was staying in with ease. He hesitated just outside the doorway, listening to the soft sounds coming from inside as he took a deep breath.

'Alright Itachi…Moment of truth. Will it be the best or worst day of your life?'

He took another shaky breath, gripping the bouquet tightly and squared his shoulders before walking inside.

He took a couple slow steps, making sure his entrance wouldn't disturb the other patients in the room. Kisame looked up from feeding the little bundle in his arms, brows furrowing together when he saw who exactly had come to visit. He turned away, the guilt slowly knowing at the edges of his heart at just the sight of his ex-fiance, instead directing his attention to his current lover Lance.

"I thought you said he wouldn't show up?" he said softly, voice still hoarse from the birth process the night before. His boyfriend just shrugged the question off, devoting all of his attention to the baseball game broadcasting on the hospital's television set mounted on the wall. Kisame sighed in frustration, watching as the Uchiha took a seat next to his bed.

"What are you doing here Itachi? You know you didn't have to come."

"I came to see my son. That's all."

Kisame felt another pang of guilt, settling to look directly at the wall just past the Uchiha's head to not make eye contact with him.

"Is that all? Not going to try to woo me or win me back like you always do?" he said, his words a little too taunting even to his own ears. Did he really sound so cruel?

"No."

Kisame looked up in surprise, watching as the man slowly shook his head and set the mysterious blue gift box by his bed stand, the flowers sitting on top.

"I'm done playing this game of cat and mouse. You are an adult and have made your decision, and as much as I don't like it who am I to keep trying to change your mind?"

The blue man blinked, obviously taken back by the harsh words. This was…different. He'd never given up on him before, how did this happen?

"Oh…Ok then…I suppose that's fair" he found himself mumbling, looking down at the little baby in his arms as it fussed. "There there Kasumi, don't start acting up now…"

Itachi couldn't help but smile at the name, watching over the little bundle but was unable to get a clear view of his face. "Kasumi?"

The blue man looked up in surprise, a small smile forming as he patted the baby's back. "I thought about the name a while ago…fitting, isn't it?"

The raven hummed in agreement, eyeing the tiny form as his heart beat reverberating through his chest. "Can….Can I hold him?" he said softly, just barely above a whisper. Kisame nodded to him and maneuvered the baby into his arms, not even hesitating to give his most precious gift to the man he loved. Or rather, the man he once loved.

Itachi gently cradled the child in his arms, shifting in his seat to releave the strain on his lower back. Kasumi opened his little eyes and looked up at the man before him, tiny golden orbs meeting black. The raven felt his heart stop looking into the beautiful eyes, taking in how absolutely perfect the child was. He knew the minute their eyes met that he would never be able to deny this child anything in the world, even if the kid grew to hate him and asked for his heart on a silver platter Itachi would gladly rip it out for him. Nervously, he used his thumb to push up the small blue beanie to reveal a tuff of soft, silky black hair adorning his head. He nearly cried with the overwhelming joy he felt, pulling the baby to his chest as though he could feel how hard his heart beat for him.

"He's perfect Kisame. Absolutely perfect." Itachi said softly, kissing the small head repeatedly as Kasumi settled against his chest.

The blue man couldn't help but beam with pride, his son really was a beautiful angel wasn't he? He let out a soft chuckle, admiring how the baby seemed to fit so perfectly in Itachi's arms, his bangs ever so slightly tickling Kasumi's cheeks, the baby babbling happily into that warm, loving chest…

He shook his head. No, he made his choice. He was about to ask for Kasumi back when one of the nurses came in, interrupting their touching moment. Kisame grumbled and allowed her to do the post-op check up, watching her look over his vitals and clean any blood from his stitches. The stitched stretched across the lower portion of his abdomen, Kasumi having to go through a C-section due to the botched gender operation Kisame went through. Itachi held the baby close, watching as he suckled on the tip of his index finger and looked around for a familiar plastic toy. Spotting it over by the TV, he looked up at the man on the other side of the room.

"Lance, would you please give me his binkie? Kasumi's getting fussy."

Said man grunted in response, still completely enthralled in his game. Itachi's eye twitched, glaring at the other man.

"Lance."

"huh?"

"The binkie?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah yeah… Here." He tossed it over to him, still giving his full attention to the game. Itachi huffed and caught the binkie, rubbing it off on his shirt before allowing the baby to suck on it.

The nurse smiled as she finished the check up, taking out a manila folder. "Alright Mr. Hoshigaki, is this the father we've been waiting for? We do have the birth certificate here ready for his signature…"

Kisame flushed in embarrassment, looking away. "Y-Yeah, this is him…"

Itachi smiled and shifted Kasumi to one arm, signing his name on the certificate and admired how perfectly it fit in. 'Kasumi Hoshigaki…mother, Kisame Hoshigaki….father, Itachi Uchiha...'

The nurse finished up the remaining paper work and filed them away accordingly inside her binder, checking on Kisame's chart once more before leaving for the day. The blue man sighed and laid back on the bed, watching as Itachi tucked Kasumi in to sleep in his bassinet "Thank you for putting him to sleep…"

Itachi smiled softly and walked over to his side, humming. "It's not a problem at all…Kisame…I want to talk about getting possible visitation with him…"

The blue man sighed and leaned back. "Itachi, can't we just talk about this after I'm not in a goddamn hospital? For crying out loud he's barely a day old…"

The raven's eyes narrowed slightly, crossing his arms. "I've fallen for that line too many times Kisame. If we don't settle this now it will blow up into a big ordeal and I'll never get to see him. I can wait until you're out of the hospital but no later than that, do you understand? He's my son. I'll pay toward anything he needs to be happy and healthy, any school fees, daycare, anything. I just want to make sure we keep communication between us for his sake…I don't want to miss out on his life." He said softly, his eyes taking on a softer look. "He's the most precious thing to me Kisame."

Kisame ground his teeth and looked up at him. "Fine. We'll talk when I get out. Until then; Fuck off."

Itachi sighed and looked to Kasumi once more before leaving, scrolling through the photos he was able to take on his phone before leaving. "My boy…" he smiled slightly before stopping at the nurse's station, leaning against the counter. "Excuse me, I would like to make some corrections to my child's file…"

Kisame sighed and sat back in bed, looking over at the box curiously. 'It couldn't hurt to take whatever the bastard got us…' He picked up the box and unwrapped it carefully, gently feeling the silky bow between his fingers before removing the lid. Inside the box sat a few basic baby toys, including a teething ring, a rattle, and some spare binkies, a couple sets of clothes for Kasumi and a large package of diapers, but the most meaningful gift was the one sitting on top of them all. Inside was a ragged looking stuffed weasel, it's eyes having been replaced with spare red buttons and smelled familiarly like Itachi.

The blue man sighed softly. Of course, only Itachi of all people would think to give his son his own childhood obsession, Mr. Weasel.

Itachi pulled into the driveway of his home, the same one he had bought years ago for Kisame and himself. The paint of the fence was chipping and the porch had seen better days but it served it's purpose. Outside a tire swing swayed side to side with the breeze, the branch above creaking from it's weight. Itachi sighed and turned away from the depressing sight, straightening out the 'Welcome Home' mat with his foot. He unlocked the door and walked in softly, passing by the kitchen and stopped briefly in front of a closed white door. He slowly ran his hand over the frame of the door, gently twisting the handle to open it.

Inside the room was covered wall to wall with drawings and small paper cranes, butterflies, and fish were suspended in the air from fishing line attached to the ceiling. A small bed was set off on one corner of the room surrounded in fluffy pillows and the popular cartoon 'Captain Sharman' sheets with a matching comforter. Next to the bed there was a small white bookshelf with hundred of books ranging from basic grammar and picture books to short novels, all of them scattered with scraps of paper as bookmarks. On the floor a big fluffy blue rug sat with almost permanent body imprints of a large form and a small form lying side by side. At the foot of the bed there was a small black trunk filled to the brim with toys, all of them put neatly away to be played with next time their owner came home.

On the opposite wall, a big mirror hung on the wall with more drawings over it depicting underwater scenes, all of the different fish drawn in washable marker and each had their own little castle at the bottom of the mirror to swim home to. There were two white folding doors left open to revel a fairly simple closet, shirts were hung pristinely in order of color at the top with a four drawer dresser at the bottom holding pairs of kid sized briefs and shorts that matched the hanging shirts. One drawer was dedicated to just footie pajamas, the owner's favorite thing to change into for bed time. Above the doorway were brightly colored letter spelling out "KASUMI", each of them a little off kilter to give off a friendly appearance.

Itachi smiled sadly, noticing the fine layer of dust that covered every surface in the room, the toys that looked a little too perfectly put away in their bin and the books that sat boredly upon their shelves instead of sprawled over the floor where they belonged. He shook his head and walked out of the room, shutting it behind him and walked to the bedroom down the hall to change into appropriate clothes for staying home. He hardly ever used this room anymore, normally he just changed and bathed in the shower attached to the room, most of his time was spent on the couch. Around the room hung colorful pictures of all shapes and sizes, some of them of both a little boy and his father, while others just showed close-up shots of the kid. Every single picture, however, had smiling faces and held a special meaning in the weasel's heart.

He finished getting changed to a pair of sweatpants and a loose top and made his way to the kitchen. He pulled out a can of soup and poured it into a bowl, popping it into the microwave before pouring himself a cup of tea to accompany it. Once the soup was done he took it and his cup and went to the dining room, taking a seat at the table and enjoyed his warm meal. This was his normal routine ever since Kasumi left, he would get home, visit his room, change, and eat his soup. Then he would end his night with a little TV, reading a chapter out of his book, and finally fall asleep on the couch. Next morning he would get up, go to work, and complete the cycle all over again. This was the normal life of a broken man, a man who no longer had goals or a driving force to compel him to do much of anything.

'How did everything go so wrong?' Itachi thought to himself, finishing off the bowl and inhaling the sweet aroma from the cup of tea. At first it was simple. He would come and pick up Kasumi every other week to spend at his house, the room originally being a nursery where he could care for his infant son. When he started to grow a little bigger Itachi upgraded his room to how it looked now, Kasumi was so happy to have a 'big kid' bed, and every night he would lay on the rug with him reading stories to him. Eventually Itachi just stopped sleeping in his room when Kasumi was over, instead he would share the bed with his little boy and watch over him to protect him from the 'big bad monster hiding in his closet' or the 'absolutely horrible goblin under his bed', and who could forget the 'oh so horrendous, little kid eating kappa hiding right outside his window'? Of course every night it was a different monster that was seemingly out to get him, and what kind of father would Itachi be if he didn't stay with his son the whole night?

Over the years he had a little more time with him, they would take long drives together out to the countryside where they would spend the whole day having adventures, one time they explored a little cave by a meadow, the next they were sailing little paper boats down a stream, and every year Itachi would make it a big deal for them to travel the day's journey to go to the beach.

Kasumi loved the beach. Maybe it was his namesake, or maybe it was the fact that he could spend the whole day swimming with his dad and learning about the fascinating sea creatures they ran into, something about the trips always made him look forward to spending time with his dad. That all changed one year though, Kasumi had just turned 5 years old when his mother decided that the child support just wasn't enough. She started keeping Kasumi at her house more than allowing him to go see his dad, it go to the point where she would even refuse his phone calls until he paid for whatever she thought he owed her that week.

Itachi set his cup down, suddenly finding it a little too bitter for his tastes. Where had he gone wrong? Maybe he had overreacted when he took their issues to court, but who wouldn't in his situation? It was a week after Halloween and Kisame had cut off all communications with him. Absolutely nothing. Itachi tried almost every hour from his desk to call his cell number, his home number, hell, he had even tried calling Lance's number! But each time he was left with no response. Fearing the worse Itachi left straight from work at his lunch break to go to their house, pretty close to breaking the land speed record by the time he pulled up in front of their house. He all but ran to the front door and almost broke it down. Kisame answered the door and all Itachi remembered from there was going straight past him, finding Kasumi and holding him as close as he possibly could until his heart stopped trying to rip itself out of his chest.

From there it only got worse. He put Kasumi in his car and started a shouting match with Kisame out of his view, and if he remembered correctly he used a few choice words about "never seeing his son again if he pulled this shit a second time" and whatever issues he had with him should not be taken out on their son. After that he drove home, spent the night with Kasumi only to be interrupted half way through to have a police squad at his door taking him into custody for supposed kidnapping charges filed by, you guessed it, Kisame.

The funny thing about the court system, even when both parties are male justice will almost always side with the mother of the child when against the father.

Itachi had a restraining order placed on him, courtesy of Kisame again, and was banned from seeing his son until he reached the age of 18. Itachi was heartbroken. All he tried to do, everything he had done for the past six years had all been thrown to the wind and his pride, his joy, ripped from his side for 13 long agonizing years.

So here he was, a lonely man without a person to love in his life. Sasuke had long moved away with his own boyfriend, Naruto, and was attending college at a nationally acclaimed university somewhere in Europe. Itachi had sent multiple letters and calls but had yet to receive a response back, and to add insult to injury the phone he gave Sasuke before his trip was no longer in service.

Itachi cleaned up his meal and sat on the couch, head in his hands. He had an idea, a crazy idea, one that would forever change the lives of the people he once held so dear. But it was probably the best case scenario for everyone at this point; the result could make sure that Kasumi was set for life with nothing to worry about. That single thought made it all worth it, and soon Itachi rose from his seat and started preparations.

Kisame woke up early that day, confusion evident on his features. He never woke up before Kasumi, usually the little kid was up and begging him to turn on the TV or something for him by this time. He climbed out of bed and scratched absent mindedly at his ass, walking down the hallway to the kitchen. He hummed and started the coffee machine, getting out the creamer and sugar bowl and set them on the counter before grabbing a plain white mug from the cupboard.

'Today seems like a pretty good day so far.' Kisame thought to himself, pouring himself a cup and mixed in the cream and sugar. 'Kasumi and Lance are still asleep, maybe I'll finally be able to get the paper and watch one of my shows.' He smiled and picked up his mug, walking to the front door. He opened the door and blinked, seeing a red box sitting on his doorstep.

"What the hell?..." Kisame raised an eyebrow and picked up the package, shaking is slightly. Inside he could hear only a dull thud before shrugging and walking inside. He tossed the package on the table before sitting and going to work unwrapping it. Inside there was a folder of various documents, a small metal box, a folded letter, and a smaller wrapped box. Kisame took out the smaller wrapped box, opening it and stared at what was inside, his mind instantly going to panic mode. Inside the box was a familiar stuffed weasel with two red button eyes.

Hurriedly Kisame opened the letter, pouring over it.

Dear Kisame,

I know we aren't on the best of terms but this is the only way I could think to talk to you. I just want to start this off by saying that you cannot blame yourself for my actions. Even though they were a key component, it was not your direct fault for the results.

Do you remember back when we first started dating and I told you those three laws I held our relationship by? I will always love you, I will always be thinking of you, and I will always be by your side. These three sayings have guided every decision I've made in my life, and I hold them very dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I regret to say that one of these three ended up being a lie.

First of all, I will always love you. That one is undoubtedly the truth. Even when we were at the worst of times I have never stopped loving you. I'm sorry that things ended up not working out between us, but I adored every moment I spent with you when we had our time together. Kasumi is such an amazing kid, he will grow up to do great things and be a wonderful person. I wish I could have given him more than I was able to, but hopefully the other gifts I have in store for you guys will help him grow up happier.

'Could have?...You still can Itachi, don't talk like that…' Kisame thought to himself, growing guiltier every moment. He would have to let Kasumi spend some more time with his father once he was done, maybe he could take him over and surprise Itachi…

Secondly, I will always be thinking of you. Of course this is another truth I've held to, my life has revolved around you and Kasumi for as long as I've known you. I guess I should confess, I set up a college fund for Kasumi back when he was born. By now it should be at around $10,000, maybe a little more. My remaining paychecks and benefits will all go toward this fund and a similar one I've set up for you as well. Yes, I may have been the cold heartless bastard you thought I was, but I really did care. In the folder it details all of the exact account numbers and the available funds, of course Kasumi wont be able to access his until he is enrolled in a high school and university, if that is the path he so chooses. If he decides to not pursue a university, then he will receive the full amount by the time he turns 18 to use how he pleases, as long as he is able to have a roof over his head, a mode of transportation, and food in his stomach. All of this is detailed in the will included in the folder.

'Wait, a Will? W-Why would he…' Kisame's heart started pounding harder, rushing through the rest of the letter, hoping with all of his being that it wasn't going to end how he thought it would.

Finally, you have probably figured it out which one was the lie. I really tried to stay by your side, but I just couldn't continue to live without you and Kasumi in my life. I'm sorry for not being the man that I should have been to you. I should have done more, tried harder, and chased after you when I had the chance. Tell Kasumi that Daddy loves him, and I will be watching over him.

Goodbye, Kisame.

Itachi.

A scream echoed through the home, waking everyone inside.

The memorial was beautiful, as beautiful as a funeral can be. Sasuke had flown back from Europe, apparently none of the letters had reached him over all that time and of course he was devastated to learn of his brother's suicide. Naruto accompanied him, having been the one to get a message through the school reporting the incident. Kisame spent days trying to coax Kasumi out of his room, having to go through the painstaking explanation on why he wouldn't be visiting Daddy for Christmas and why Mommy kept telling him that Daddy was with the angels now.

As the rain poured down on the remaining mourners at the gravesite, Kisame couldn't help but think about how beautiful the scene was in front of him. It was something out of a romantic tragedy, the lover surviving on with their child as their partner watched over them from above, forever living on as a memory. Kisame looked at the lone headstone, barely registering the voices behind him trying to coax him out of the rain. It just kept repeating over and over in his head.

How did it turn out this way?

It shouldn't have ended like this. Kasumi should have a loving father to look up to and a mother to comfort him. A father to make sure there was nothing to hurt him while his mother convinced him not to be afraid of the dark. Most of all, he should feel the security of having a father there to rely on when his mother wasn't. The blue man shook his head and walked away, leaving a small golden ring at the base of the headstone to signify the one promise that meant the most during their time together.

It was time to head home.

Here lies Itachi Uchiha.

Model citizen

Caring brother

Wonderful Father