Itachi sat by the window of the Akatsuki House in Frost Country with a thick book of poetry in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other. Thin framed glasses perched on his nose, a pair of cloudy black eyes stared at the pages. Sakura was out playing in the snow with Deidara and Tobi, laughing cheerily. Mostly at them.

She really loved hanging around them. He would never admit it, but it surprised him how well-versed that duo were in dealing with young kids. And Itachi? He wasn't quite sure how to handle someone as young as her. There was a point in his life when he was an older brother a long time ago.

Now, the title was too good for him.

He turned his head to look out the window to see that Deidara and Sakura had built Tobi into a snowman. Into. As Deidara broke down laughing, knees dropping into the snow, the little girl caught Itachi's gaze through the window and waved. He returned the gesture with a slight incline of his head.

Sakura beamed brightly before turning back around to the Tobi-snowman. They played around for another long while before Konan appeared and urged them all inside.

"But Mama, why can't we play anymore?" Sakura pouted. Konan smoothed down her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"There's no use for you being sick," she replied, straight-faced as ever. "Take a shower and put on your pajamas."

Sakura nodded and trotted down the hallway. As she disappeared into her room, Konan turned to Deidara and Tobi. "You two have been slated for a mission with Sasori-san and Zetsu-san. Go see Leader-sama for further details."

::

Itachi sat on the couch in the living area, reading a book as he always would with Sakura sitting cross-legged beside him. His partner, Kisame, was sprawled across the loveseat. She toyed with a glob of Deidara's non-reactive clay, trying diligently to make one of the flowers she saw in the books at he library. The silence that flowed between them was light and lulling and could stay for hours.

Until Sakura raised her head. "Itachi-san, where do babies come from?"

Kisame—the bastard—didn't even try to hide his booming laughter. Itachi sighed before he took off his glasses.

"What brought this on, Sakura-san?"

"I dunno. Dei'dra-san said babies grow 'nside mamas' tummies and the papa puts it there. How does the papa do that? Did my papa do that?"

Itachi prepared to give her a speech on the human anatomy and the reproductive system, but the cheeky, taunting grin Kisame gave him made him think otherwise. He sighed again.

"Sometimes when two people are in a relationship, they decide to have a child. When that happens, the father gives the mother... seeds... and the baby grows in the mother's stomach," he explained. Sakura stared at him for a few moments before nodding in understanding and continuing to mess around with her clay. Relieved, Itachi sank back into the couch. Kisame's second bout of laughter certainly wasn't appreciated, but at least—

"Can two guys get a baby?"

...

"Well, yes, but—"

"So it means you and Kis'me-san need a baby! Don't you have a, um, ree-lay-shon-ship?" she asked, head tilted to one side. "But you're gonna be Papa and Papa. Does 'tachi-san put the seed in Kis'me-san or does Kis'me-san put the see in 'tachi-san?"

Kisame roared so hard with laughter he rolled off the loveseat and onto the ground. "We-We don't got a relationship like that, kiddo," he wheezed, throwing up an embarrassed smile. "What Itachi-san means is that when two like-like each other, they you know, get down the business."

"So you don' like-like 'chother?"

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, Sakura-san. We do not."

A few days later, she asked the same question to Deidara about him and Tobi.

He choked on his water.

::

EDITED 1/30/18