Soulmates (NaruSasu)

Chapter 37 (Naruto)

Just as I'm about to go to bed after getting Itaku down for the night, Itachi appears in the doorway.

"Thank you." His voice is quiet so that he doesn't wake my sleeping son. "I don't know what you said to Izumi, but thank you."

A small smile creeps its way across my face. I've been watching the three Uchihas since my conversation with Izumi. She closed herself off from the other two for about a week then asked to talk to Shisui. I don't know what was said between them, but all three if them were having a civil conversation an hour ago. And, now Itachi is thanking me.

"What exactly are you thanking me for?" I'm playing dumb in hopes that he'll tell me what Izumi decided to do.

"She said I don't have to choose because I can have both of them." I can see tears building up at the corners of his violet eyes. "I don't have to push one away to be with the other. My only problem is making sure neither of them feel like I love one more than the other."

I grin at my brother-in-law. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Just as I'm about to say more, I feel three pulses from Sasuke's kunai. He didn't give the jinchuriki the wrong one, did he?

"Sasuke's summoning me," I say in confusion. "Do you mind staying in here in case Ita wakes up?"

Without answering, Itachi walks over to my bed and sits down. Of course he would immediately agree to take care of his nephew, even if he has to go to the meeting with the Feudal Lord tomorrow.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." I say before teleporting to the location of the Kunai. When I see him sitting against a tree completely alone, I call out to him about how late it is. "Oi, Teme, what are you doing calling for me in the middle of the night?"

He looks up at me withthe tear a tear streaked face. "How can you still love me, Usuratonkachi? After what I did..?"

His voice breaks throughout his question. I didn't realize how much the miscarriage was still affecting him. I was sad at first, but knowing it wasn't Sasuke's fault, and having Itaku with me nearly every day, it doesn't really affect me.

"What happened?" I ask. I'm worried about him.

He explains about a nightmare he's been having where I accuse him if killing our child and showing him a dying infant. His vivid description alone has me cringing. Sasuke should know that I would never blame him.

When he finishes the explanation, I don't know what to say, so I let my actions talk for me. I gently take his face in my hands and press our lips together. Hopefully, he can feel how much I love him and be able to tell that I don't blame him through this kiss.

"It wasn't your fault, Sasuke," I say after breaking the kiss. "I told you. Granny said that it was growing in the wrong place. You didn't cause that. It just happens."

He buries his face in my shoulder and lets all of his tension out. I can tell that he's needed this release of all his pent up emotions.

I run my hand throughhis hair in a way that I know soothes him. "Sleep, Sasuke. I'll watch over you."

A few minutes after Sasuke falls asleep, someone enters the small clearing that we are sitting in. From what I can tell, it's one of the people he was with before he fought Itachi.

"I'm not here to hurt him," the white haired guy says putting his hands up to show that he isn't making any hand signs. "I came to check on him. He left camp a while ago, and I wanted to make sure he was okay."

I try to remember the names Sasuke had told me when explaining the group he had created to search for Itachi. "Suigetsu, right?"

"So Sasuke does talk about us," Suigetsu says in the weird voice most people use when talking to Itaku.

"If Sasuke wasn't asleep, he'd probably kill you for saying it like that."

Suigetsu chuckles. "I know." He sits down so that he's facing Sasuke and I.

This is not a good situation. Where is the rest of his team? They can't know about Sasuke and I. We can't risk anyone telling the Akatsuki about our plans to save the other jinchuriki.

"You and the Hachibi are all that's left," Suigetsu says after a moment. "Sasuke told me the plan, but I'm worried that something will go wrong. He's so exhausted and temperamental after waking up from nightmares every night. We can't have both of you dying because he can't focus."

Both of us dying? That's right, the books Granny gave us talked about how, due to how much stronger the bond is on the Jinchuriki's side, the death of their mate will kill them. No amount of healing from the bijuu can stop that from happening.

"How do you know about that? Did Sasuke tell you?" Why would my mate give such sensitive information to someone outside our village?

"I was a student of Master Zabuza," the white haired boy explains. "He was the mate of the Fourth Mizukage."

I had a hand in the death of another jinchuriki, even if it was unintentional. That thought actually makes me upset. I don't want to have been responsible for killing someone else who was like me.

"Don't blame yourself," he says. "Sasuke blames himself for things enough for the both of you. Did he tell you about the nightmare?"

I nod before reaching into my pack that was thankfully still on me when I telepoted here. When my hand is in front of me again, I'm holding a blank scroll and something to write with. I jot a quick note to Itachi telling him that I'll probably be gone all night, to get some rest for his mission tomorrow, and to take Ita to Konohamaru if I'm not back when he gets up to leave. Once it's written, I teleport it to the marking on my bedside table, and return the writing utensil to my pack.. Thinking of Konohamaru, he's been jealous of how much time Itaku has been spending with Itachi over him. He misses his friend.

"Go back to your camp and sleep," I tell him. I'd he plans on helping Sasuke with protecting the only other tailed best, then he'll need all the rest he can get as well. "I can stay up and take care of Sasuke."

Without another word, the boy gets up and heads off to wherever the rest of their team is. When Sasuke wakes back up after having slept most of the night, I give him a kiss goodbye before teleporting home to get a nap in before going to get my son back from Konohamaru.