Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.

The Meaning of Family

Arc One: Forced Circumstances

Chapter One

During a particular time in my life, I can recall a dark shadow that blinded me from everything in the world except for one shining light that would guide me out of despair. She came in the form of a small child with golden locks, and was blessed with the white-lavender eyes of the Hyūga. Hina Hyūga is her name. She's a few months younger than me and has a lot more personality. In our youth she was filled with unlimited energy and a reckless abandon that nearly always threatened to get us into trouble. Still, when I shied away from others or was being bullied by my peers, she was there to force me into action or defend me from my attackers.

It wasn't until my father came into my life that I truly started to overcome the hindrances that the city I was raised in bestowed onto me. His appearance brought an end to the laughs and yells; the mocking and ridiculing; the shame. Like a storm, he blew away the aggressors with unforgiving lightning and thunder; they didn't know what hit them. With him in my life, I finally learned the true meaning of my birth right. But it's the shameful childhood I bore, and the rearing of his best friend's child that he endured, that brought us to the points in our lives when we finally met for the first time. Despite my feelings before meeting him, the stories of his past make me happy that our reunion wasn't until years after my birth. I don't know if I could have handled him as my father if he had stayed the same, if he hadn't gone through the struggle up until the point we met. At the beginning, the very beginning, when I was still a mere thought that sat in the back of his head and pounded on the front part of my mother's skull, he had been closed off and distant from the world. In a sense, he still is, but I feel he was different in those days.

Like every story, there's a trigger of events that creates a catalyst from which the adventure can unfold. The cause in this case is a ratty young boy, with spiky fly-away blonde hair, and narrow white-lavender Hyūga eyes, who I would someday come to think of as a brother.

xxx

"Sakura! Get Naruna out of here!" Sasuke Uchiha barked out hoarsely; never one to wake up in a good mood. He had been sleeping so peacefully too, until the blonde child bounded into his room and jumped onto his back, none the lightly.

"Oh shuttup Sasuke-ji. Sakura-ba told me to wake you up," the boy named Naruna said. The raspy-ness of his high pitched, adolescent voice rang through Sasuke's ears like nails on a chalkboard. Naruto may be Sasuke's best friend, but the solemn Uchiha couldn't bring himself to care for the Hokage-to-be's child.

He hated children and wasn't sure how Sakura expected him to provide her one. A part of him knew that he would have to eventually, and sometimes, during the moments when Naruto would take his wife to the side and hold her gently while Naruna played noisily before them, Sasuke could feel a twang of paternal emotion course through him. He wanted to be a father. To show his future child the life and childhood that had been ripped away from him. But those were all feelings that he hadn't come to grips with. A child was something in the distant future for him, not the near. If only Sakura would understand that.

"Wake up Sasuke-ji!" the child cackled as he jumped up and down roughly on Sasuke's back. Sasuke wanted to hit him, to slam his arm across the kid's body and send him flying into the wall, but Naruto wouldn't appreciate that and Sakura would more than likely send him soaring halfway across town with one, perfectly positioned and toned punch. Not to mention the entire Hyūga clan would probably be after his head. But the pounding of small feet hopping heavily on his back wouldn't stop. 'He's four years old,' Sasuke told himself, hoping to subdue his growing irritation. 'Once he's a few years older you can beat him down and call it training. Just bare with it…' At one point in his life he thought the only source of true irritation he would ever have to endure was the gawking of female onlookers and the blonde idiot he considered his best friend and brother, but everyday he interacted with the little heathen that he was forced to proclaim as his nephew he was proved wrong.

"Why is it you're an angel to everyone else but to me you're nothing but an annoying brat?" Sasuke finally growled under his breath. He rolled over and caught Naruna by the ankles as the boy came back down from his most recent leap. Naruna collapsed onto Sasuke's chest and didn't bother struggling out of his uncle's grip; these two had played this game before.

"Because I hate you. You're nothing but a big meany," Naruna said quietly so that Sakura couldn't hear him. A spark flashed across their eyes and Sasuke smirked. Naruna grimaced, afraid that his uncle had finally reached his limit and would actually strike him; maybe then Naruto and Hinata would say he didn't have to see the Uchiha anymore.

"Good, that makes two of us. I'm glad we're on the same page," Sasuke said as he tossed the boy off of his chest and onto the floor.

There was a clunk as Naruna failed to catch himself, and then he did the one thing that Sasuke could never stand. The one thing that kept the thought of children buried deep, in the far reaches of his mind where the idea all but disappeared. Naruna began crying, and not just the I-hurt-myself-and-need-you-to-comfort-me crying that Sasuke could deal with, he was married to Sakura after all, but the I-am-going-to-scream-at-the-top-of-my-lungs-until- your-ears-bleed-and-your-wife-scolds-you-for-hurti ng-me crying. He grit his teeth as Sakura barreled into the room.

"Hey Naruna-kun, are you okay?" Sakura said in the sweet voice that she saved specifically for the little child. The sound was filled with milk and thick honey that sugar coated the kid until he was smiling brightly. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes and nose while Sakura lifted him off the ground and hugged him comfortingly. Her affectionate expression hardened as she turned away from him and glared daggers at Sasuke. "What did you do?"

"I threw him off of my back," Sasuke said nonchalantly. Sakura huffed and stormed out of the room. Relieved, Sasuke let out a heavy sigh and fell back onto the bed, hoping to sleep for a little longer.

"Don't you dare go back to sleep," Sakura's voice trailed down the hallway and into their room. He groaned and sat back up.

"When's daddy or mommy coming to get me," Naruna whined as Sakura laid out a plate filled with pancakes for him to eat at the small table that took up a corner of their kitchen. He liked Sakura well enough, but Sasuke was mean and wouldn't talk to him if he could help it. Naruna didn't understand what Naruto saw in the brooding man but his father never stopped talking with Sasuke. The two were nearly always together; sparring, eating, scheming, arguing, or collaborating.

"An hour probably," Sakura said pleasantly as Sasuke walked ominously into the kitchen. He brushed by her, placing a hand on her waist, catching her by surprise. Naruna looked away as Sasuke placed a soft kiss on top of Sakura's forehead and murmured a 'sorry' under his breath. She was going to let him get away with his behavior now, and she wouldn't make him apologize to the child. "G-good morning," Sakura stuttered as a feverish blush rushed over her face. They had been married for nearly two years now yet he still excited her easily, with absolutely no work needed on his part.

"Morning," Sasuke said, his quiet, deep voice sinking into her skin and wrapping her in a suffocating cocoon of heat and lust; she'd accept the death easily if it really came. She swooned and he stayed in place in case she tipped over. Once he was sure she was stable again, he made his way to the table.

Naruna made a show of not looking at Sasuke but the man didn't care. He was happier when Naruna was being quiet. Every year his family—Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata—told him that their relationship would get better once Naruna was older, but every year Naruna grew older and their bond worsened. Sasuke almost wished that Naruna would shrink back into infant-hood so that he wouldn't have to deal with the sarcastic child who ran around like crazy and who everyone expected Sasuke to take care of. But then he would remember that during that period of time Naruna didn't know how to use a restroom, and would scream vociferously whenever he was forced into Sasuke's embrace, and the Uchiha would reluctantly agree that older Naruna was better, if only a little.

Sakura set down a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice, and a plate of fish in front of Sasuke, giving him an amorous look as she sat beside him at the table, a bowl of fruit in front of herself. He smirked at her and then chuckled internally when she started blushing again. It was nice being able to please her so easily.

"How can you stand eating something so plain for breakfast?" Naruna rasped squeakily, his mouth full of mushy pancake.

"Aren't there table-side manners you should be abiding by?" Sasuke answered with a question. "Or maybe your mother and father have failed to teach you the everyday implications used to denote one as being eloquent and distinguished.

"Quit using big words ji-san! I don't even know what you're saying," Naruna wined and Sasuke frowned with disgust. The kid's face was covered with syrup and a small clump of cake was caught on the side of his mouth. 'He's four,' Sasuke told himself mentally. 'He's four.'

"Naruna-kun, Sasuke is saying that it's rude to talk with food in your mouth," Sakura explained musically. She walked to the other side of the table and wiped at the boy's mouth before Sasuke lost his appetite completely.

"Can't he just say that then?" Naruna said angrily. He hated his uncle for always picking on him. The thought of having a cool and strong uncle to fall back on if he ever had a problem he couldn't go to his parents about was snubbed out before it could flicker to life in his mind. There was a feeling that nagged at him unsympathetically and told him that Sasuke would never like him and wished he didn't exist. Naruna hated Sasuke.

"Are you two fighting again?" a voice made of soft woven silk said from the hallway leading into the kitchen.

"Mom!" Naruna cheered enthusiastically as Hinata Hyūga brushed into the room with grace.

Hinata had changed since their years as teenagers, though in some cases she was still the same. With Naruto by her side she had become a force to be reckoned with, becoming one of the strongest Hyūga in the clan. There was no questioning her abilities now. Naruto's favorite dating activity was sparring with the Hyūga princess before going out to eat a large meal and then strolling together through the beauty of a freshly fallen night sky. Because of this, she was quick to grow stronger during her youth and now had only settled down long enough to carry and then nurse Naruna. Although she was still shy at gatherings and outings, the reckless blondes in her life had easily influenced her to voice out her opinions when the time was needed. Hinata was never aggressive, but she could definitely be stern.

Naruna tucked under the table and then bolted to Hinata, clamping his small arms around her legs and digging his face into her knees. She smiled and rubbed the top of his head with her hand. "Have you been behaving yourself?"

"Yes, but Sasuke-ji is still being mean," Naruna said and Sasuke rolled his eyes. There was a sound of someone fumbling with something out in the entry way and Naruna raced away from the kitchen, calling out "daddy!"

"Sasuke-nii…" Hinata murmured but Sasuke reeled away from her and went back to eating. "It's his birthday…"

Sasuke didn't make an attempt to talk and Hinata sulked slightly until Sakura rushed in to save the day. "Isn't it great? Your little boy is four years old today."

Hinata smiled. "Yes… Naruto-kun and I are thinking of making another…" Hinata said shyly, her face blushing. She wasn't embarrassed enough to hide the conversation though. Sakura had been the one to deliver Naruna and Sasuke was around so often she was used to him hearing things that were only meant for Naruto's ears, so she wasn't exactly shy in front of him.

"Another one?" Sakura beamed with enough enthusiasm Sasuke was sure her eyes would explode. She turned to Sasuke with the same amount of eagerness in her voice. "Oh please, please, please," she pleaded. "We can't let them beat us."

"When did it become a competition?" Sasuke sighed and Hinata twisted her fingers around one another awkwardly, not sure if her news had spurred a lovers' quarrel.

"What are you lot jabbering about?" Naruto said as he walked into the room. He was due to be inaugurated into the position of Hokage within a month or so and annoyingly made it a point to practice his leadership skills on Sasuke, trying to find peace with the man whenever he was at the point of blowing up. "We're going to be late, you know."

Sasuke sighed again, forcing back any words he was about to say to Sakura. He would rather argue with her alone, away from Naruto's prying ears. With their breakfast eaten, Sakura quickly cleaned up the kitchen while Sasuke dressed and washed his face, then the group disembarked to Naruna's birthday party that Naruto and Hinata had spent all morning setting up.

They would have walked from Sasuke and Sakura's house, located in the once abandoned Uchiha compound, to the Hyūga compound, but Naruna asked Naruto to place him on his shoulders and then prodded his father into racing across the rooftops of the city. Hinata followed joyfully and then Sakura urged Sasuke to follow after them as she leapt up a building. Sasuke sighed. He did that a lot. The task was by no means too much for him, but for once he wished he could take it easy. Kids meant he couldn't rest, and if Sakura and he had one now, he would be condemning himself to at least eighteen years of no relaxation or privacy. At least Naruna had a home he could be sent off to. With his internal ranting pressed to the side, Sasuke sprinted after the others.

The Hyūga lands were boisterous with talk and activity. Every Hyūga from the main family and many from the branch family were situated outside of the main house, in a large grove that had been set up with benches and various party games. Streamers stretched from the surrounding rooftops to the trees, and balloons were tied to every nook and cranny possible. The normally scenic yard was bright, colorful, noisy, and any other happy thing that generally annoyed Sasuke. The screaming laughter from teetering children was a kick to the stomach and he could feel a headache coming on.

"Everyone's here!" Naruna said once Naruto placed him on the ground.

"Well today is your birthday. And you are the heir to the Hyūga clan," Naruto said. It was no surprise that Hiashi Hyūga had chosen to elect Naruna as his heir rather than decide between Hinata, his first born, or Hanabi, the daughter who actually excels in most instances. Naruna smiled open-mouthed at his father before racing off to play with the other Hyūga children, his wispy blonde hair standing out amongst the strands of black that the other kids bore.

"Your child is as excitably as ever," a snarky female voice said to Naruto and the group took notice of an approaching Ino and Chōji; another couple who had gotten an early start at parenthood. It seemed that once Chōji had gotten a hold of Ino he couldn't stop, they had three children now. A young Inochi stood pointedly by her mother. She's a few months older than Naruna and has long, brown hair like her father, pudgy cheeks, and a fattening gut. Her little brother, whom Ino named Inoichi after her father, has short blond hair and a lean build. "It's okay you too, you can go play with the other children," Ino said to them. The two kids looked at one another for a second and then raced off to join Naruna and the others.

"Chōino is getting bigger every day," Sakura said, cooing over the baby Ino was caring. Sasuke dreaded the surmounting baby fever that Sakura was developing. The two friends and Hinata made their way to a small table sitting under the shade of a large tree.

"We're working on getting another one out into the world," Naruto said to Chōji as Sasuke stood beside him stiffly.

"Oh yeah," Chōji said with a grin. "I think three is good enough for us. We don't need anymore."

Sasuke chided the two of them internally while they boasted about their kids. They hadn't even reached twenty-five yet but it seemed like his friends were popping out offspring left and right. He wanted to leave the threshold of dirty children and their obsessed parents but he knew Sakura would never let him hear the end of it. Before Naruto and Chōji could grow tired of their 'kid talk' more of their friends arrived to greet Naruto and Hinata and celebrate Naruna's birthday.

Kakashi brought his five-year-old Taka. No one knew who the kid's mother was and if it wasn't for his stark white hair many of them would have believed the rumors that Kakashi adopted. The story goes that Kakashi had been sent on a solo mission where he encountered a woman dying from attacks caused by a wandering band of rogue ninja. She had birthed Taka while bleeding out of gashes and holes that had been cut out of her, and when Kakashi found her, she pleaded for him to take the child and care for it as his own. Other rumors say that she had been his on-again off-again lover and when he went to visit her, he was shocked to find that she had died giving birth to his child. No matter what really happened, he was raising the boy and there was no mother to be found.

Shikamaru, Temari, and Gaara appeared next. Whatever relationship Shikamaru and Temari had was beyond Sasuke's comprehension. It seems that at one point he had attended their wedding, but for the time being they seemed to still be living apart from one another, Shikamaru stationed in Konoha and Temari in Suna. That didn't keep them from spawning off a small two-year-old girl who they had named Shimari. She's as smart as Shikamaru and as bratty as Temari but for whatever reasons her parents love her all the same. There was a fondness that she had for Taka but Sasuke sensed that Taka was drawn more to Naruna. The lot of them were still toddlers though so only time would truly tell. He hated watching them bob and weave across the ground in their malformed, child bodies. They'd stumble across the grass with their short, stubby legs and then fall into the dirt, picking their self's up without bothering to brush off the grime.

Gaara, luckily, was still childless, but only because his wife hadn't finished her pregnancy yet. The red-haired man gave Naruto a sincere greeting and then retreated to the far corner of the party where Tsunade had positioned herself. The two of them bullshitted about various affairs concerning their countries while Tsunade poured him some of the sake she had sneaked in, still hoping that she could corrupt him before her time in office was over. While he would have normally said 'no' to her offer, he downed the shot and requested another one. Sasuke wondered if Gaara was nervous, knowing that soon, he too would be a father. It was a sight watching the two of them start up their own party within the party.

As the last of their friends who had graduated into parenthood arrived, Sasuke found the pull towards the Kage table harder to resist. Kiba's child was just a few months old and had the habit of crying loudly. Shino's son was a year old and was the devil himself, contrasting Shino's own wallflower personality. The unruly black-haired kid kicked Sasuke in his shin the moment they arrived. Shino never bothered apologizing on his son's behalf, in truth; his friends generally let their children bully Sasuke whenever possible. It was a sad fact that Sasuke's spur of the moment proclaim to become Hokage was stamped out by everyone in the village. No one, save a handful of people, could bring themselves to truly forgive Sasuke and his friends were only considered so because of Naruto.

His friends had it coming though. Once their demon spawns were old enough, Uncle Sasuke planned on training the life out of them. He smirked at the pleasant thought of finally beating the children unconscious, the fantasy swimming across his head. Shino's son ran away once he had glimpsed Sasuke's expression.

Soon Sai arrived and Sasuke was glad. He had learned to appreciate Sai almost to the same extent that he could appreciate Naruto, mainly because, unlike the kids, Sasuke could actually hit Sai if he pissed him off. With Sai about, he and Sasuke infiltrated the Kage table and joined in on their secret party. Afterwards Kurenai arrived with her relatively respectable eight-year-old daughter and the party had reached its maximum capacity. Everyone invited was accounted for save Konohamaru and his friends, they were unfortunately on a mission, Kankurō, who was also on a mission, and Lee and Tenten, who never came to Hyūga events. No one blamed them for keeping their distance.

The party would have dragged on for Sasuke, but humorously enough, Tsunade, Gaara, and Sai were great company when the four of them were inebriated. Sakura or Naruto would have scolded Sasuke's drinking on any other occasion, but the alcohol proved to mask Sasuke's brooding and the kids were none the wiser. They would have to find more sake if they planned on keeping their intoxication up throughout the night though, the party had started at eleven in the morning and didn't end until five in the evening. Naruto's generation were known for their long-winded parties.

"So young Kazekage," Tsunade burped out after a particularly long swig of sake; Kakashi stared at the bottle, wondering if he should have a sip. "How does it feel knowing that any day you could be a father?"

"I'm nervous as hell," Gaara admitted, his normal disposition washed away by the liquor that burned the back of his throat with each swallow.

"Who wouldn't be," Sasuke said. He brushed is bangs up with his hand so that they fell disheveled to the side of his face. "Soon you'll have your own little shit running around." Sasuke motioned to the army of children parading around the grounds, coxing their parents into providing them more entertainment.

"I'm not nervous about that," Gaara said and there was a wistful look in his eyes as he watched the children tackle Naruto and Kiba to the ground; a few of the Hyūga kids activated their newly discovered Byakugan abilities, Naruna being one of them. Gaara turned back to the group of drinkers. "She isn't due for a month and a half so I thought I could get away with coming here for Naruna's birthday and Naruto's inauguration. But she's so big now… I'm worried she'll have the child while I'm away."

"Well isn't that noble of you," Sai said with a plastic smile. "So there are no worries about having created a potentially irritable little tyrant?" This was another reason why Sasuke found himself appreciating Sai's company; he had the knack for asking rude questions that other's generally avoided. It was amusing and often times got difficult questions answered.

Gaara inhaled slowly before giving his answer, prompting the other's to take long guzzles of their poison in preparation; this was going to be a long one. Gaara scoffed at their action but then did the same, he needed to keep up. "I was definitely worried and questioned my abilities as a father when I first found out she was pregnant but she has since dispelled any reluctance or fear that I had. 'I know who I am as a person,' she told me, and 'I have the choice to be a good parent.' I'm not automatically good or bad bringing up a child; it depends on my own actions. If I feel that I must strike my child as punishment, it's my own thoughts that bring me to my conclusion and it's my own acts that decide whether I spank the child or don't. Ultimately, I decide everything. How she's molded and grows. What she can or can't eat. What school she goes to, what she wears since I buy the clothes. And, of course I share the responsibility with my wife, but it's different than caring for someone else's kid. In those instances, that kid is theirs and I follow their rules, this time, I make the rules."

"Well good for you Gaara-san," Tsunade said. "I'm happy that you're confident about this."

"I'm actually very excited," Gaara said.

"Well here's a toast then!" Tsunade proclaimed and she raised her glass. Sasuke was aware of the noise around them softening as everyone tuned into their conversation, curious about what Tsunade had to say. "To Gaara being excited about having a baby," she cheered and the party-goers clapped.

"Hey!" Naruna said with an excited pout, wanting attention on his birthday.

"And to Naruna-chan turning four!" Tsunade yelled louder than ever. Naruna yippee'd with a thrill of amusement, missing Tsunade's taunt. "And to the three of us remaining barren forever!" Gaara chuckled awkwardly at Tsunade's toast but clanked his glass against hers nonetheless. Sai was pleased from the attention Tsunade had caused and joined with the glass clanking.

Sasuke hesitantly joined in too, not wanting to ruin the still current Hokage's moment, but there was a voice ringing in the back of his head. Gaara had sparked a thought that Sasuke hadn't had before. He never even considered the idea but the redhead Demon of the Sand was right; if it was his own child, it would have to follow his rules. It would be like buying a puppy; Sakura can potty-train it and Sasuke could teach it. The beast would be unconditionally loyal; he'd make sure of that. And technically, it's only messy for a few years. As his glass fell in line with the others he looked over at Sakura and found her eyes. She was watching him toast to the idea of not having kids, and her eyes were nearly welling with tears. He smirked at her, and gave her one of his looks that sent a shiver down her spine. In an instant she had perked back up and was blushing feverishly. Sasuke's current alcohol to blood ratio had his head swimming in possibilities and the look on Sakura's face only added to the racing thoughts. Without thinking, he lowered his guard and let her see his smile, something he'd never done in public.

"Ack! The teme is smiling," Naruto called out from the crowd, never one to miss a beat.

The word 'damnit' slammed against Sasuke's head as his smile dropped. He was about to rush over to Naruto and pummel him for making him appear like a fool, but Gaara put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and stopped him.

"Not in that condition, you'll embarrass yourself even more," Gaara said.

Tsunade filled Sasuke's glass again. "This will take care of your troubles."

He sighed defeated and took the glass, chugging down another shot of the burning liquid.

As five o'clock rolled around the party came to a finish. Naruna, ever the spoiled Hyūga brat, had already blown out the candles on his cake and opened the surmountable pile of presents he was given, including the trinket, whatever it was, that Sakura had bought him. She told him Sasuke was the one who picked it out but Naruna knew she was lying.

With the children tired and crabby from their six straight hours of fun, the crowd dispersed and Sasuke and Sakura found themselves walking back home.

It was still bright out, but the sun had finally inched over to the point that the sky was turning red and the fireflies had started to dance around the town. The walk was quiet, the way Sasuke liked it, but he knew that Sakura was still fretting about Tsunade's toast. Within the ten minutes that it took for them to walk to the entrance of the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was aware that she was reaching her breaking point. She wanted to ask him if that was how he really felt; no doubt Ino, Hinata, and Temari bothered her about it. She was the only one among her kunoichi friends that hadn't become a mother, minus Tenten who was experiencing coping issues and barely kept in contact with anyone.

With the rest of the village hidden away by the ghost-town that was once boisterous with Uchiha's, Sasuke brushed his hand down Sakura's back. She jumped in fright and he caught a hold of her face, placing his lips on hers.

"I think I'm drunk enough to give it a try," he said and he was only half lying. He was still drunk, but definitely coherent enough to know the decision he was making.

She looked at him questioningly. "Are you sure?"

He kissed her again. "Just the once. You better make up your mind before I change mine."

She smiled at him and grabbed his hand, dragging him fiercely back to their house.

At one point, his parents' house had stood where his home was now, but, after taking in the memories it had held for so long, he decided to burn it down. Naruto and Sakura stood with him, while Sai, Kakashi, Hinata, and Yamatō watched from afar. The six of them were the closest he would ever have to a family again, and he didn't want to be burdened by his past anymore. They watched him perform his jutsu and cast his fire upon the house. Naruto and Sakura, possibly Kakashi as well, could sense the internal agony he felt as he watched his home burn. It felt like an eternity before the structure was finally brought to the ground and once it was, no one was sure what to say. Sasuke was wrapped in thought, and it wasn't until Sai spoke up that reality was forced back to him.

A simple, "that took forever," walked out of Sai's mouth and into Sasuke's ears, and the next thing anyone knew, Sasuke had planted his fist against the side of Sai's head. Sasuke kicked and punched at the pasty man he was forced to regard as a teammate until Sai chuckled and sat up, his arms holding the top half of his body off of the ground. His smile was back, despite the already forming bruises that covered his body. "Do you feel better now? I thought you might have wanted to release some of that anger."

Sasuke stood shocked, wondering if Sai had really read the mood that well and openly sacrificed his self so that Sasuke could vent. Sasuke extended a hand to help Sai up, his own personal way of apologizing, and when he turned back to look at the ashes of his former home, a new one was already in place.

"How's this for the body?" Yamatō asked, shoving a thumb towards the house he had just built. "There's still a long way to go, what with wiring it to use electricity and of course painting and decorating it, but it's a quick start."

"It's great," Sasuke said, but he masked his enthusiasm and his voice came out dull. It was enough to spread smiles across the faces of his friends though. They were happy that he was happy and that was enough.

With the ceremony over, the old house burned down and the new house now up, everyone brushed by Sasuke, patting him on the back as they made their way home. Sakura was the only one who stayed alongside him. "I don't plan on going anywhere," she said when he gave her an incredulous look, his eyes asking her what she was doing. She took his hand in hers and led him inside the house, and hadn't left his side since. That was nearly four years ago, and Sasuke and Sakura reminisced about the nights they had together since that night as they fought each other for dominance under the bed sheets, neither of them really caring which of them would come out on top because in the end both of them would win.

In the end, the battle was won and they lay atop one another, sweaty and hot, the sheets kicked to the end of the bed. "You would make a good dad, you know," Sakura said finally, after they had caught their breath. She leaned up to him and kissed him softly on the lips. "I know that is something you worry about."

He rolled his eyes but didn't deny her statement. Now that he'd done the deed his fear and loathing was back in place. Turmoil regarding his ability as a father, as well as the destructive force that is a child, flip-flopped across his head and he felt his temples pound and his stomach leap into the back of his throat. Maybe he was starting to develop a premature hangover.

Sakura wanted to keep talking and she pouted her lips at him, her brow furrowed as she tried to visually coax him into expressing himself. The look on her face was enough to make him want to express himself physically and he took her lips in his, prepared for round two despite the pain in his head.

They were about to fall back onto the bed when the window to their bedroom flung open. Sai stood on the window sill, not amused and unsmiling at their current state. "Naruna's been taken," he said. "Naruto's gathering the Hyūga, but the kid is already out of the city. You're the second fastest in Konoha, after Rock Lee so we're hoping you can cut them off and bide some time until Naruto reaches them."

Sasuke nodded his head and rushed to his forgotten clothes, grabbing his sword once he has dressed. He gave Sakura one last kiss and held his hand under her chin. "Stay this way if you will. I'd like to continue once I've recovered the brat." Her entire body seemed to lighten to a soft, pink color that matched her hair as she nodded dumbly in agreement.

"Hurry back," she called as Sasuke and Sai rushed from the house.

"They took off towards the front entrance," Sai explained hurriedly so that Sasuke wouldn't have to hold back for too long.

"Well aren't they arrogant," Sasuke said as he took off in a mad dash, his voice rising and splitting the serene night sky as he rushed to the front of Konoha.

There was no exaggerating when Sai said he was the second fastest person in the village. Sasuke ripped through the night as fast as the lightening could pierce the sky, quickly bypassing Naruto, Hinata, and the Hyūga who were out to save Naruna. "Don't worry dobe, I'll get your son for you."

Once out of the city, Sasuke bounded up to the tree tops where he could see the outlines of Naruna's kidnappers hurriedly moving farther away from the town. He let chakra flow through his legs, similar to when Sakura focused energy into a punch, and kick-started his true speed. Through the tree tops, he was able to maneuver around the branches and use the nimble wood to propel himself further than what simply running across earth could provide him; the end result being a terrifying orchestra of snapping tree branches that followed closely behind him as each landing and jump broke at the wood. In minutes he had reached the ninja who clung tightly to Naruna.

"Shit it's the Uchiha!" One of the masked ninja screamed out before Sasuke's sword was impaled through his throat. The rest of the twenty or so ninjas quickly started their attack.

Naruna's eyes widen as he watches the man collapse to the ground, blood spurting out of his throat. A part of him was shocked that Sasuke had come to his rescue; another part was surprised at how cruel Sasuke could be. The red in Sasuke's sharingan excited and scared the small boy, he had never seen it activated before. He only had a few seconds to relish in its beauty before his mind began to swim into the vision of a small house.

"Where am I?" Naruna wondered aloud. In the house the wrappings that encircled his body and the tape that covered his mouth had disappeared.

"I put you in a quick genjutsu so we can speak," Sasuke explained. "Once we're done the genjutsu will vanish. Your father is on his way, I just arrived first because I'm faster."

Naruna nodded in understanding, happy to know that his father was coming for him. Before he could say anything the house faded to black and when he blinked he was back to being tied up, held in a strange man's arms as Sasuke swiped his sword lazily into and out of various ninja, dropping them to the ground like flies. The man who held him unraveled a parchment with various designs spread around it; black ink encircling the scroll like a seal. He placed Naruna's obstructed body onto the seal and clamped his hands together in the sign of the bird, Naruna struggling to get the tape off his mouth.

"…underestimated Sasuke's speed. We're going with plan B now," the man said.

He put both hands onto the scroll as Naruna managed to strip the tape away and yell "Sasuke-ji!"

Sasuke turned and raced to Naruna, grabbing a hold of him as the jutsu took place. Within a cloud of smoke, the jutsu was finished and Sasuke and Naruna were gone.

"Shit," The man who performed the technique said, but his voice gurgled with hot, metallic tasting liquid. He looked around at his comrades, all of them lying dead around the forest floor. "I'm dead now anyway…"

Naruto and his squad had finally made it to the scene but the man ripped the dagger out of his throat, which had been thrown at him by Sasuke when he picked up Naruna. With the kunai dislodged, blood was able to gush out of the hole; he only had a minute at the rate it was spraying. Quickly, the man knelt down and stabbed the kunai into the scroll before anyone could think to stop him.

With the parchment shredded, the man collapsed to the earth floor and allowed himself to die while Naruto cursed to the sky, wondering what had happened to his son and friend.

xxx

At this point in the story, I was still unknown to the group; not having yet formed as my father's seed swam to my mother's egg. In the dark of the night, Sakura tried to stay awake as she waited for countless hours, wondering when Sasuke would return to her, and growing cold as the cool breeze of the night lightly danced across her uncovered skin. If only she knew that the next morning Naruto would be informing her that her husband had disappeared.

Reviews and Critiques are welcomed. If the characters are too OOC please let me know. ^^

Naruna:

"Naru" from "Naruto" and "na" from "Hinata". Spelled: 鳴るな his name is derived from 鳴る "naru" which means "sound" and I put the な "na" in there because I wanted to. ^^ Born September 24, he's a Libra but has Virgo tendencies. As of this chapter he is four-years-old. obviously...