How come you won't follow me, even though you're most fit to be at my side?

Chapter One:

Ordinary Kids

XxXxX

Sasuke walked home. Alone.

He always did. The stormy night from before left him restless for, contrary to common belief, Sasuke was a superstitious man. Every time a storm took place at night, something bad happened the next day. Well, 'bad', is a gross understatement. It was 'the worst day ever, but it only gets worse' sort of day, kinda like when Sakura told him flat out she was bisexual and she was in a steady relationship with Ino right after Sasuke took her out on a date. And then being completely humiliated by the waitress when she accidentally dumped all the food she was carrying into his unsuspecting back, then refused to apologize because 'he should have dodged because he's a ninja'.

And then his wallet.

Sitting at home right now, because he was in a hurry to go meet up with Sakura. She paid in full, because not only was he still stinging from the blunt honest truth from Sakura and the hot food, but because he left said wallet at home. She refused to give the waitress a tip for being rude, but still. It stung Sasuke's pride. He was hoping that Sakura would allow him to walk her home, but Ino came in and picked her up, leaving a dejected and dirty Sasuke to walk home. Alone.

What a horrible, fucked up day it was. And it was even 7 o'clock yet.

~ L e t m e p r o t e c t y o u ~

He turned the key, and opened the door to his apartment with ease.

Sasuke's bachelor pad was full of the typical items rich bachelors need to survive: a refrigerator with food for more than three people; a smaller, more tinnier refrigerator for the beverages;a kitchen with state-of-the-art stove, oven, dishwasher and sink, all stainless steel; utensils of all kinds for the kitchen, some of which he didn't even know the purpose of; a bathroom with a porcelain tub and sink, a shower, ample space, and a giant walk-in closet; a bedroom with a balcony that had a beautiful view of the village, and the lights from the downtown area at night; a giant four-poster bed, with enough space for at least four; and elegant, gorgeous decorations like paintings, sculptures, and trinkets here and there.

That was to the left of the door.

The living room was enormous, with a giant plasma HD-TV, stereo, and all the game systems a ninja can get their hands on. Beyond that were the unused rooms, only one, of the two unoccupied, being used for storage. That was the rest of the house, laid out before him with the rooms to his left.

Sasuke kicked back his formal shoes, dressed down, took a bath to wash off the sticky syrup from the dango sticks the waitress threw on him, put on some sweats, and decided to kill some Krill on Gears of War while he tried to wear off the day's horrible outcome. Sasuke was then officially bored when he reached the gargantuan drill platform three hours later playing as Dominic Santiago, or Dom, on Live. He then made himself an omelet, going to the extreme with the ingredients, and ate it all. He turned to the empty chair next to him, and decided to go to sleep after having a fleeting vision of what he had wanted since he came back.

A family.

Someone who understood him, who was there for support, to hear out his problems, and to never let go of him even when it got dark and stormy. He wanted someone who would want to grow old with him, have children with him and watch them grow; to show him that he is indeed important, like a lifeline, and they would be his lifeline too. He wanted to be someone else's lifelong sweetheart.

It was the only reason he purchased the ridiculously large apartment and turned it into an expensive, very luxurious bachelor pad.

He had secretly painted the other room he didn't use, for the children he hoped someday to have. A light yellow for a nursery, but no items for it, or the child; he had a rocking chair, some toys and his childhood toys in some boxes. That was it. It was under lock and key. He hid this secret longing for a family. No one knew.

No one cared, it seemed.

The only other person who understood this was gone, disappeared in the night's shroud, into voluntary exile. They both wanted a family, someone to cherish and who would cherish them back, something neither of them had in their childhood. But this other person was gone.

After brushing his teeth, he looked at the sink. Enough space for another person's tolietries.

He jumped into bed, pulling the covers around him, and then forced himself to rest. The idea, still fresh in his mind, of a beautiful family life lulled him to sleep.

~ L e t m e p r o t e c t y o u ~

Naruto Uzumaki was heading home to his apartment in Suna. The place was a little too luxurious for his tastes, with an over-sized living room as a perfect example of that. He dropped his bag and sat on the table, reading over the scrolls that the Kazekage had given him to review. The jutsu was rather complicated, but the blonde could handle the complex writing. The kitchen light spread over the whole table, spilling over to create stark shadows in the table's close parameters. Either way, Naruto sensed the presence hiding within the darkness.

"Oto-san?"

A little girl no taller than the chairs approached Naruto, her blonde hair gleaming in the kitchen's light. Her pigtails were a little long for a child her age. Her onyx eyes sparkled, holding in them the sacred power of the Sexy no Jutsu. Her outfit was an orange over-sized hoodie, the zipper in front adding a boyish touch. It almost resembled Hinata's own over-sized jacket, to the homesick blonde. His home in Konoha was probably abandoned by now, the six years away from it reducing it to cheap real estate.

"Yes, Oka-chan?"

"You know I abhor that nickname. I reminds me of an old lady. Can't you just call me by my given birth name, Okaeri?"

"Too formal. Why are you up?" The blonde was sure she was supposed to be in bed; it was past one in the morning.

"The same reason Dai-kun hasn't gone to bed either." At that, another child sprung forth to tackle the blonde, raven locks invading Naruto's line of sight. A white top and black pants told him they had been up since he left that afternoon. The petite, almost feminine, body of the young boy was wrapped tight against the blonde's torso. The blonde then responded by lifting the boy's chin up to see him in the face. The boy's pale complexion looked like porcelain, but his blue eyes were what caught you. Sparkling and a rich cerulean, they were full of life and energy. Black hair framed his round face, cut short from the neck.

" We're going back after this mission."

"What?"

"Back to my home."

The children were led to their room, a light shade of green, so they would go to sleep. Naruto had packed everything he owned, which was very little, and given back everything back to the Kazekage that he borrowed from the same. Gaara had given him a place to live after leaving Konoha, because the blonde found himself in a predicament that Gaara knew too well.

Naruto now was able to go back home, and be at peace knowing that the children would know the truth. For too long he had held the truth from everyone, with the exception of one: the Kazekage. For much too long he stayed away from home, denying the children from what they really needed; stability. A home. With that in mind, he fell asleep.

They need a home, thought Naruto, but they're also the reason I left my home Konoha in the first place.

~ L e t m e p r o t e c t y o u ~

It had been one week since that horrible disaster now dubbed 'the Rosette Revelation' by Sasuke. He was on light, easy guard duty this week, since an ANBU was granted a break every now and then. The Eastern Gates of Konoha were possibly the easiest to guard, since the only people coming in to Konoha were market traders from Suna. No harm from that, right?

Kiba sat next to him, a jounin who requested something simple in case he was needed for a mission, with Akamaru stationed in front of him. Across from them was Sakura, and next to her, Hinata, who was organizing some papers for the afternoon shift. They were all very bored, and Akamaru was entertaining for some time but it just wasn't enough to sate their wants.

After a while, since no people had passed through, Sasuke decided to impress the ladies and canines by throwing kunai into the air directly above him and burning them to a crisp before they came back to the ground. They were all soon trying to impress each other, all too focused to notice the approaching figures in the distance.

"Well, Uchiha, I heard you were flat-out rejected by the waitress in the diner last week."

At this, Sasuke stopped.

"Yeah, and I heard you were humped by your dog." Both girls sat both of them down before they got angry, and that's when they heard the clear, chiming voice of a girl. A young, very young girl. In fact, the girl in front of the group was probably only six, at most seven, years old. Her blonde hair was held in high ponytails, and her black eyes were bright and alert. Her hoodie, which was like Hinata's in that it had a giant zipper in front, was orange and black, and it was long enough to pass as a dress. It reached her knees, and she was tall tube orange and black striped socks. No skin showed itself.

"Hi, can we check in? It's a party of three."

Everyone stopped and went to work; Sakura was already checking the girl through for anything unusual, while Sasuke was getting the roster; Kiba and Hinata were getting papers out for records. Akamaru sniffed her over for dangerous substances.

A cloaked figure arrived in the hustling and bustling, and a young boy, whos black hair and pale complexion gave an almost morbid look, trailed behind them. The stranger's face was shrouded in shadows, and the cloak covered them head to toe. That was it; no skin. The boy was wearing a black long sleeve turtleneck, with a sleeveless white shirt on top of that. He had a pair of black shorts, but wore bandages to cover the rest of his legs. Again, no skin.

"What country are you from?"

"Suna." Both children spoke up in unison, the stranger still silent. Suna was in Wind Country. That was all desert; it would explain their heavy clothing to protect them against the sand, terrain, and wind.

The stranger stepped in front and took the clipboard from Hinata's trembling hands. They filled it out, and handed it back. They were from Leaf. The person in front of them was a male, here to do business while taking his children to visit the ninja capital. The whole paper was filled out for all of them, with the exception of one. Hinata was stunned that the man in front of her filled everything except-

Their name.

"Excuse me, you forgot to enter your name."

"..."

"Sir?"

"..."

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to please leave if you won't give us your name."

And then the stranger said something that confused the guards there. Sakura knew what the stranger wanted, but the rest of the ninjas were left in the dark. The rosette had only heard of one ninja saying this, and that was from before the Second Great Ninja War. Tsunade-shisou told the rosette that her grandfather saw it being performed.

"I call upon the right of the Shiraibuke-hime blossom."

And with that, the stranger extended their hand out with an erotic, sweet-smelling, white-tipped flower, with bright hues of purple, red, and yellow in the center. It was a flower only in bloom every other decade, but very rarely did it bloom out of season. Shiraibuke meant 'a blooming flower out of season'. Sakura recognized it thanks to Ino, who was running the flower shop her family owned since her mother and father went to hunt the flower down due to its extreme rarity.

It was also because of that rarity and beauty that many coveted this gem. Making it an elemental part of the next action Sakura was going to do. The rosette extended her hand out.

"Please come this way. Our Hokage will see you as soon as she receives the payment for her presence."

The flower was handed to Sakura, only when the children came to his side. Sakura looked at the stranger's commpany and shrugged it off. Sasuke, Kiba and Hinata were told to come to the Hokage's office once their shift was over. Sakura was going to be their guide, and she was going to be there through the whole Shiraibuke-hime Exchange.

With the flower woven into her handsigns, Sakura transported the party of three to the Hokage's office, leaving everyone else in a shower of petals.

~ L e t m e p r o t e c t y o u ~

It was ten minutes after 3 o'clock, and Sasuke, Akamaru and Hinata were patiently waiting outside the Hokage's office, waiting to see who the stranger had been. They had left as soon as the other ninja taking their place came. Kiba had gone outside, and was finally coming back in.

"Man, Akamaru, you should see the sun out! So warm, makes ya wanna curl up and sleep..."

Hinata and Sasuke just scooted over a bit to let him sit next to his over-sized dog. Hinata faced Kiba, and started to make small chat. Sasuke had no one. After another long set of awkward moments between Sasuke, Hinata, and Kiba, a loud bark from Akamaru made everyone pay attention to the over-sized dog.

"What is it, boy?" Kiba tensed, sitting on the edge of his seat.

Akamaru promptly jumped over Kiba and on to Hinata, kicking the dog boy out of his seat and into the floor. He then just laid its head on Sasuke's lap and fell asleep. Sasuke tensed up at the dog's warm and fuzzy head on his lap. He turned to Hinata, who was probably experienced in the way of the canine and bugs, and saw that she was soothingly petting the back of the dog's head. Her gaze was peaceful, as if she were caressing a child.

"Could you help me, uh, get him off?"

Hinata came out of her daze and turned beet red, and wrapped soft fingers around Akamaru's head. Sasuke wiggled free, but couldn't help but have a fleeting vision...

"Mommy, Mommy, guess what? I finally made a fireball with jutsu!"

Hinata turned around, beautiful raven blue hair swaying with the calm breeze. She smiled at the young boy, also with soft hair, but a darker hue. Another child, a girl with long hair, came forth from who knows where.

"I helped him!"

Hinata was then jumped by another boy.

"I summoned a spark between two rocks!" Hinata patted her young boy on the head as she set him down.

"Well, your father will be very pleased with your progress."

With that response from her, Sasuke stepped into the small garden inside the house, and motioned for the children to come forth. They practically tackled him down, and Hinata smiled as she went back to tending for her medicinal herbs.

"We love you, daddy!"

Sasuke only smiled.

Sasuke turned around, in hopes of getting the images out of his mind. Although he did yearn a family, he was not THAT desperate. On one hand, he hadn't tried dating Hinata. Yet on the other, it seemed she was happy with her current situation, or else she would have gone on dates with her teammates already.

Sasuke was not going to interrupt that inner peace she seemed to have achieved. In the background, Kiba was busy trying to shove Akamaru off of his seat. Hinata had been asked by many suitors to date and even marry her. Just like Sasuke, Hinata was another ninja whose single status was important; her position within the Hyuuga Clan was enough to make feudal lords beg for her hand in marriage, let alone how beautiful and refined she was. Amybe he could attain that attractive charm that drew people in, or learn how being alone for now was okay from her. He should ask later.

"Hinata Kiba, Sasuke. Come in."

Everyone stopped what they were doing; Kiba was pratically dragging Akamaru out by the collar, Sasuke was in his own little world, and Hinata was just sitting patiently. They quickly got up and followed the rosette into the Hokage's office.

The blonde woman that imposed respect and awe was frowning, and grumbled something about the now-empty bottle of sake. "Sakura, close the door, and instill a Level 3 Silence Jutsu. What you three saw out there is classified."

"Look, Granny Tsunade, no amount of secrecy is going to keep me from going unnoticed."

At the unexpected voice, all three ninjas tensed and assumed attack position. The stranger from earlier was in the corner, and the two kids he came with clutched at his knees. Sakura picked up both with grace and delicacy, and she placed them next to Tsunade. The three ninja were still registering the words from the stranger.

Granny Tsunade...

Removing his hood, gasps and looks of shock swept the three. Turning to face them, blue eyes sparkled to show the pureness and energy they held after all those years. Blonde locks of hair framed a whisker-clad face.

"Long time no see, guys. Did ya miss me?"

Naruto Uzumaki was back after an absence of five years.

Well, this is now the refined version of the story. Short, but simple. Anyway, this is now v. 2.1. Please give concrits! They are worshipped!

Till next time,

Hikari Souai