Mirror, mirror. [Naruto] [Itachi Uchiha] (Complete)

Chapter 21

From a young age Sasuke cared for nothing but fulfilling his destiny; to seek revenge for the death of his fallen family and restore their honour and eventually reinstate the dwindling number of one. Admittedly the opposite sex was not at the top of his agenda, they merely lingered in his blindside whilst he ventured closer to his ultimate goal. When his mind would quiet down and the vengeful thoughts would finally give him a moment of respite he would often ponder what life would bring to his feet should his revenge finally be completed.

Would he live a normal life? Fall in love and raise a family like his parents had in their youth? Would he even be capable of love after living through such hate and turmoil? Would he go back to Konoha and turn over a new leaf or go elsewhere where no one knew of him or his past? He knew it would take a particularly strong leap of faith for him to return to Konoha after all the battles that had incurred between them, but he knew deep down it was where his roots were. They were so embedded in the earth that it would take a cataclysmic event to uproot them and bring them to the light.

But in the turn of events that he found himself in, had the ability to rip out the rotten and decayed family roots and give him the chance to spread the seeds of his history afresh, to give the Uchiha name new roots in which they could ground themselves once more. Yet it wasn't his own seed that would be the first to be planted, it would be that of his brother's unborn child. It was obvious from a young age that Itachi was a paternal person, it was in his nature to care and nurture those around him: especially him; Itachi was practically a father to him in the times when his own father was not on the scene.

However this time it would be him who would look after Itachi and that meant looking after Reina and her unborn child as well.

"You're going to be alright." Sasuke murmured lowly from his place kneeling before Reina whose eyes were wide with unshed tears. Reina stared back at Sasuke, the realisation of her situation finally beginning to show as her snowy façade began to crack and weeks of bottled emotions finally unleashed themselves. Hugging her knees Reina buried her face into her arms and wept an inundation of salty tears streaming down her face whilst muffled cries passed her lips. How could she not have seen the signs? The fatigue, the vomiting, the Datsue-ba's riddles and how could she have overlooked their single night of intimacy? It all added up. She was carrying the child of Itachi Uchiha, who somewhere, was oblivious; he was oblivious to both her and Sasuke attempting to rescue him and oblivious to the fact he could be a father.

Wearily Sasuke sat eased himself from the floor and beside Reina, wrapping an arm around her fragile form with a gentleness he didn't know he possessed. He was never one to comfort those in need, he merely thought them as weak an pitiful and unworthy of his acknowledgement; but this time around was different, the young woman beside him was his family, and was carrying his possible niece or nephew. It was in this time that he would prove to himself that he was capable of turning a new leaf.

Initially Reina flinched at his tenderness something she thought he had forgotten about; but before long she warmed to his touch sitting up from her foetal position and leaning into his arms grateful for the comfort. Sasuke held Reina close, she cradled against his chest as she continued to sob quietly; if he could do one good deed for his brother then it would be to keep Reina safe. Cradling her protectively Sasuke held her close, the quiet cries eventually coming to a halt before nothing but their hushed breathes filled the air.

"I promise you, I'll keep you safe." He murmured soundlessly, his thumb idly caressing her shoulder gently; occasionally hiccupping Reina smiled slightly, inhaling and calming herself as she closed her eyes for a brief moment of solace. The brief moment was exactly that: brief. Reina breathed in before relinquishing her hold on the young raven's shirt and wiping away the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Sasuke sat wordlessly and watched as the young heiress composed herself once more, her honey eyes now slightly puffy and red; she exhaled deeply and sent a grateful smile his way before tearing her eyes from his to her stomach.