Disclaimer: Naruto is owned and was created by a man called Kishimoto. I hereby disavow any need to profit, gain, or otherwise benefit from this piece of fan fiction other then for the sheer amusement of being bored.
Author's Note: I was going to leave it where I had it however... I decided to just post the entire thing. Oh GOODY! More news. There is more to come.
Author's Note History: I wrote this part after seeing the ending to the first Naruto Shippuden movie. I'll be removing Japanese language in the future so the honorifics will not be staying. I will also be posting updates as I go so the 'was' and other past tense language will shift the perception of this fiction into the more present term. Please be patient.
Almost - Part Two:
Nearly a week and a half earlier:
"Naruto-kun getting married?" Violet eyes flashed as the woman sat up with a scowl. Maybe it was time to visit the man on his own turf.
Everything should have been simplified at that stage as Naruto escorted his new bride outside the Hokage Tower with a dubious face passed back at his Leader. A single eye smile of encouragement was all he got before the doors closed behind them and they were alone once more with the outside world. Who was he kidding, Naruto scoffed as he thrust his hands into his pockets as he and the woman beside him froze on the outskirts of the Hokage Tower.
"Naruto-kun, is there something wrong?" Hinata asked as she watched the flickering array of emotions across her husband's face.
"Nothing I can't figure out." Naruto answered automatically. "Hinata-chan, I know I have an apartment, but what about you? I mean…"
"Ano, I've not been able to really look for a place to live." she confessed. "My shifts and station have kept me occupied."
"Oh. I guess we can stay at my place until we find something better." he said aloud. Suddenly paling, he brought his hands up in a single seal before summoning several of his bunshin into existence. "You guys go ahead." he cast a sideways look at his suddenly amused wife. "Get things taken care of."
"Hai, boss." They answered him with a roar. A soft giggle at the end of the sudden flash of noise brought his face into a bright crimson not entirely gone from that morning.
"Hinata-chaaaan." he said, extending the last vowels in his address of her name.
"Hai, Naruto-kun?" she answered between giggles. It was no secret to her exactly why Naruto had created an army of bunshin to clean his apartment before they got there. It was more from the gesture than anything. It was just that sweet. Without giving him time to answer, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before stepping back. "Thank you." she whispered as she ducked her head.
"You're welcome." he answered almost automatically. Hinata…
The apartment was small. Hinata hummed under her breath as she looked about under her husband's expectant gaze. The apartment was clean though. Very clean.
"Naruto-kun, did you buy a new couch?" she asked, noting the plastic covering just about every piece of furniture in the room as she turned to look at him in surprise. It didn't take a genius to know what Naruto had intended for his clones to do. Smiling at him, she gave him a pretty little blush of her own for the umpteenth time. "Thank you."
Grinning, Naruto merely shrugged off the praise as he took her hand and led her further into the apartment. "It's not much, but it should keep us." Giving her a shrug of explanation, the jinchuuriki turned to face the room itself. "I guess we could try to get to know one another a bit more."
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, unsure of what he meant by the suggestion. It wasn't everyday one found herself married to the boy she'd loved as a girl and all of it arranged.
"Well, we can't keep stumbling around each other, Hinata-chan." Naruto answered. "Sure, this might be unfamiliar ground but we're a family now, right?"
"Hai." she answered, her brows beginning to draw together in a least some form of understanding.
"Then all we need to do is getting to know each other better." He grinned even wider. "Kind of like when we were put on teams when we were genin. Only, well, there isn't a Sensei to tell us how to make it work out." Confusion wrote itself into his face as he crossed his arms and looked at Hinata questioningly. "Is there?"
She couldn't help it, Hinata began to giggle at the question as she turned away to at least stifle her laughter. Not finding any help there, she felt her shoulders begin to shake under their own power. Naruto's face had generally begun to relax at the laughter.
"Naruto-kun, I don't think marriage works like a mission. It just is. Why don't we try to just be ourselves and do our best first? If we have trouble somewhere… Then we can try to talk it out?" she suggested as the blonde nodded.
"Believe it." he answered with a grin. "So, what do we do first then?"
"Ano… maybe talk about what kind of life we might want to have?" she suggested once she regained control of herself. Falling silent, Hinata looked down at the floor before she felt herself suddenly being tugged in the general direction of the kitchen. "Naruto-kun?"
"Ramen. Do you prefer tea or milk, Hinata-chan?" he asked as the blond went about removing plastic covers from different pieces of furniture.
"Ah, tea." she answered, slightly shocked when he urged her to sit at the table. If she didn't know better, Hinata thought, she'd swear he was fidgeting. "Naruto-kun, is everything alright?"
"Eyyuuup." he answered, turning to look at her with brilliant blue eyes. "So, we are going to discuss our futures, right?"
"H…hai." she answered softly as a cup of instant ramen appeared before her. "What did you want to discuss first?"
"You mentioned something about clan colors." he answered swiftly. "Anything come to mind about that?"
Shock was plain across her face before she smiled. "Hai. I know you prefer orange and black, but… ano… "
"You think people should be allowed to select their own stuff too, huh?" Naruto asked as he set a kettle atop the range stove and turned back to look at the young woman.
"If it wouldn't bother you." she said in answer. "I am not so accustomed to clan life I cannot live outside a uniform. Well, there is my ANBU uniform."
"Hinata-chan, maybe we should use black and white for a base and add whatever personal effects we care to?" Naruto said suddenly, looking up at her with determined blue eyes. "Though, I do gotta ask, does this mean you want children? I mean, with me, as the father?"
A brow shot up as Hinata's face turned a brilliant scarlet, her fingers suddenly once more reverting to her old child hood habit of pressing themselves together. "Na…Na… Naruto-kun," she gasped out, "I… eh um." Unable to finish the words, she slid from her seat in a wave of dark hair and fluttering pearl colored eyes. A concerned shout of surprise was the last thing she heard before she found herself once more in the neutral embrace of shadows.
"Again?" Naruto grunted under his breath, digging into his pockets for the awful smelling salts that Sakura had given him some two days ago after discovering just whom he was marrying. Now he was beginning to understand why…
Passing the vial fumes under his wife's nose, Naruto wrinkled his own as Hinata suddenly jerked upwards with a cough. "Wha…"
"You alright, Hinata-chan? You just suddenly tipped outta your chair when we were discussing having kids." Naruto explained as he helped the woman upright, while at the same time moving the chair away from Hinata's head. The blush was apparently the least of their problems, Naruto decided as he watched Hinata begin to struggle with herself. Several times it looked like she wanted to speak when the orange and black clad Sannin decided to end the matter.
Reaching up, Naruto caught her chin gently with the tips of his fingers, meeting her unsteady eyes with his own. For a moment, Hinata almost looked like she would have screamed or fainted again when he brought his lips once more to meet her own. Perhaps his logic should have been flawed, yet in its own way the kiss held a special merit. Perhaps it was for the depth beyond which it carried her compared to the earlier ones.
The one inside the Hokage's office right after she confessed. The one that they shared after exchanging vows all failed to compare to this one… That was until he broke away from her lips, only for her to realize she'd stopped breathing.
"Hinata-chan," he whispered, "Some one is at the door."
"Nani?" Hinata answered, turning her head to look at the closed-door beyond the kitchen. The thump of a fist on the wooden frame came as a surprise as she glanced warily up at Naruto. Standing, Naruto helped Hinata to her feet before moving to answer the door. Eyes widening, he stepped back in surprise as Neji and his girl friend Tenten entered the apartment.
A duffel sat heavily on Neji's shoulder before he removed it and set it on the couch. "Hinata-sama's things." he explained as the new Uzumaki stepped out of the kitchen.
"Neji?" she said breathlessly, looking askance at the things he'd brought with him. "I…" Stopping, she blushed as her cousin's teammate placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"We should go, Neji." she advised with a gesture at the blushing Hinata. "You know, them being newly married and all…" The Branch member Hyuuga shot a brow up as he turned back to Naruto with a pair of questioning eyes before just shaking his head.
"Some things even I don't need an answer for, Naruto-sama." the elder Shinobi said disbelieving. "Have a good day, Hinata-sama, Naruto-sama." Then they were gone…
Continuing to lean against the wall, the blond turned to give Hinata a questioning look. "Naruto-sama?" he asked with a frown. "What the hell is that all about?"
"Neji-nii-san is just trying to say welcome to the family in his own way." Hinata answered with a small smile. "Not even he will break the habit for me."
"Heh, we'll see about that." Naruto laughed. Hinata frowned when she noted his wry grin flash back at her. "What?"
"Naruto-kun, please, reconsider anything you might be planning. Neji is your cousin now, just as much as mine." Hinata pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked at him. "Please?"
The hell? Am I actually considering not… "Hinata-chan," he whispered in response, already pouting at the lost opportunity to change destiny boy's attitude some more.
((break))
Upon the delivery of Hinata's possessions, a note was delivered a mere two hours later from a nervous Branch Hyuuga child. It was Hinata herself who identified the seal placed atop the scroll having been at that seal's beck and call for the greater parts of her life. "What could my father wish to discuss with you?" Hinata asked him as she led the way to the Hyuuga district.
"I really don't know. I mean, Neji didn't seem to be very vocal about anything either. Think he knew?"
"Ano, I really don't know, Naruto-kun." she answered, signaling the Hyuuga guards stationed at the gates, Hinata proceeded into the inner sanctum that was her clan's domain.
With everything that had gone on before, Naruto was becoming more tense by the second. If they'd been summoned here for the caged bird seal, he thought, there is going to be a whole new level of pain for Hinata-chan's old man.
It was Hanabi's voice that disrupted the destructive course of his thoughts as the younger Hyuuga sister offered him a cool tilt of her head. Noting that Hinata had placed a hand on his upper arm, Naruto looked down on the small female to note her taking a seat in front of her father, leaving a single space free for him to sit at. The older man gave him a once over glance before straightening his back. Apparently, he meant business.
Taking the seat, Naruto quirked a questioning brow at the man before holding up the message scroll. "You wanted to speak with us?" he asked, tone weary for anything he didn't like.
"Hai. You have married a daughter of the Hyuuga clan, Naruto-san. This would normally be something that would not be allowed. However, given the outstanding circumstances involving this arrangement, it is being over looked."
"What's the point?" Naruto interrupted.
"Oh, the answer is simple really. I've arranged for you to take a seat upon the Hyuuga Clan Counsel." Hiashi answered with a cool glare. "Hinata is my eldest daughter and former heiress of this clan. Considering the circumstances behind your marriage I think it best for you to gain some acquaintance with the politics that govern lives. Making you a clan elder will fill that need nicely."
Naruto paled, as the words sank into his head only to find Hinata automatically leaning forward in disbelief. "Ano, Father, what… what does this mean?"
"I've my reasons behind such an entitlement, Hinata." her father answered, not taking his eyes from the widened blue orbs across from him. "You might wish to remind your husband about the requirement of air, daughter."
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered turning her violet eyes upwards as the color came back to Naruto's face.
"The hell does this mean?" the Sannin exploded.
"You've been named an elder of this clan, Uzumaki Naruto." Hiashi answered. There was some resigned amusement in the man's pale eyes, though not so in Hanabi's and the sheer level of shock flooding Hinata's face was enough to set the entire group on guard. "It will help you to learn more about what it means to have lives placed in your care."
"You… you… how… Hinata-chan, can he do that?" he blurted, turning dark blue eyes down to his wife who stared at her father in shock.
"Hai, but only if you are willing. Father, won't the counsel dispute this?" she asked, digging her fingers into her palms as she spoke.
Her father's sly smile was answer enough. "I've made a few choices they didn't like before. This is nothing new and if they wish to argue the point, they would be free to challenge it. Naruto-san, you once promised my daughter and nephew you'd change this clan for the better. Will you keep that promise now?"
Hook, line, and…
"Damn you, Hiashi-baka." Naruto growled, "You already know my answer. Bah, fine, I'll do it. But I ain't calling anyone 'sama'."
"That is fine with me. Just leave the insults behind you when in council chambers, hmm?" A low growl was his response from the blonde youth as Hiashi's smile slid into something victorious. Things had an upturn apparently as the blond drummed his fingers atop his father in law's desk. Oh yes, Hiashi smirked, things were definitely going to change for the Hyuuga as a whole. Naruto would allow for nothing else. "There is one last matter to attend to."
"What?"
"Branch Hyuuga have been moved into your apartment building should you need anything from the clan."
"Say what? I never agreed to that!" Naruto protested. "Neither Hinata nor I need a bunch of people acting like servants. We are self capable."
Hiashi grinned, almost in delightful glee at the chance to finally get some form of justice out of this. "That is truly unsurprising, Naruto-san. However, you are married now and will perhaps with some luck on your side be a father yourself. Hinata should not be left to care for children while you pursue a career to become a Hokage. Something has to be done for her."
Hinata was torn, between the uncharacteristic behavior on her father's part and the fact that Naruto seemed nearly unable to get a word out edgewise. That and Hanabi seemed to be as in that dark as she was…
"Father, Naruto-kun…" she whispered, listening to the conversation as Hiashi frankly blackmailed Naruto into giving over on this matter as well. This was a side of him she'd never really seen before and it was rather alarming to the kunoichi in her. "Father, please, why are you doing this?"
"Because, like Naruto-san, I too once made a promise. I intend to rectify the mistakes that were made and make up the past before my time on this plane ends." Hiashi answered.
"What promise?" Naruto demanded, coming to his full height in front of Hiashi's desk.
"The ones I made to a long ago teammate before her death. Kushina-chan was a good friend, Naruto-san. I apologize for my failure to aid you as you were growing. Had I but known…"
"You'd have done what, Hiashi-baka? Never mind, I'm not in the habit of regretting things. You want to make amends so badly, then fine. Go ahead. There are many orphans out there that don't have parents and family to support them. Make it up to them. I've already passed the time by for needing parents." Naruto froze when he saw Hiashi's jaw clench. "That doesn't mean I'm not grateful. I just don't understand why now after all…"
"I like so many others were left in the dark, Naruto-san. It is not a comfortable feeling and is something I'm sure you're well acquainted with."
"Hai. Then don't let it bother you anymore, Hiashi-baka. I don't." Naruto amended with a grin at the unfortunate man who merely nodded at him.
"Why do you keep insulting my father, Naruto-san?" Hanabi interrupted.
"Ehh? Cause I can." he answered, leaving the teen girl to blink at him before she turned a questioning pair of eyes on her sister. Hinata shrugged. "Ano, Hinata-chan, we should go."
"Hai." she answered, getting to her feet automatically as Naruto stood.
"Later Hiashi-baka, Hanabi-chan." he said cheerfully.
"Father, Hanabi-nee-chan." Hinata added gracing them both with a bow before Naruto tugged her from the room. The last thing she heard was Hanabi turning to question her father about things… She somehow found the entire situation more than her head could bear. A pounding began somewhere between the steps out the door and the street beyond.
Naruto didn't take her home right away. Instead, he'd taken them to his favorite spot from when he was a student, the swing in front of the abandoned academy building. Sinking into the grass that grew beneath the tree's overwhelming branches, Naruto tugged Hinata down to sit with him. Finally, he looked down at her and groaned aloud.
"I think I now know where Neji get's the crazy from." he groaned. "Your old man is weird, Hinata-chan. Why would he make me an Elder of a Clan I'm not even a part of?"
"When we married you became a member by default." Hinata remanded. "It is confusing and unexpected, Naruto-kun. However, my father probably has his reasons for naming you an Elder even if we don't understand or know them." She ignored the crazy comment simply because she was beginning to wonder about that as well. Just why has father done this? I'll speak with him later about it and assigning branch house members to Naruto-kun's apartment building.
"Ehh, I still think he's an idiot."
She blinked again at him before tilting her head slightly to the side. "Naruto-kun, he's my father."
"Annnd he's an idiot for not seeing the treasures beneath his nose." Naruto answered, flopping back the grass beside her. Reaching blindly over, he hooked a hand around Hinata's wrist and tugged her down beside him. "If I had a family like yours I wouldn't ignore one in favor of the other. Nor would I have done to them what he did to you, Neji, and your sister. He's a fool."
Looking up at his chin from where she'd fallen beside him, Hinata pushed herself slightly up. "But…"
"He's your father and you still care about him. I'm not saying don't. I'm just saying he's got to realize what he's giving up." Naruto explained closing his eyes as he spoke. "There is a time when people have to see the kind of pain they can cause. Even if it's much, much too late to do anything about it."
She spoke the question without meaning too… "Why are you telling me this, Naruto-kun?"
"I dunno. It just feels like the right thing to do."
Further conversation became moot as Hinata fell into a thoughtful silence over Naruto's confessed private thoughts. She'd been witness to his temper before; she had seen how loud he could become while not saying much of anything at all. She had even saw a similar feel of speech when he'd spoken with his friends, former sensei, and other close people. But none of it had ever been directed at her and her alone. At least, not like this. Leaning her head back down, she found herself snuggly tucked into the crook of Naruto's arm almost as if she had always been there. It was too much. Hinata's brain shut down the moment the crimson hit her face… She found herself floating in a midst the shadows of her own eyes.
Whether she knew it or not, Hinata had passed out once more.
Looking down at his wife, Naruto stifled the snort of amusement at finding the sleeping woman tucked against him. Of course, it helped that she seemed right to be there in the first place. His heart thudded hard in his chest as he recognized a feeling he'd always tagged Sakura when they'd been younger. That's impossible. I know I'm supposed to have given up on Sakura-chan for Sasuke and her sake, but come on… Could I have…? Nah! That's gotta be impossible.
There is no way I could have fallen in love with Hinata-chan that quickly.
"Hinata-chan, did you fall asleep?" he asked a moment later when he noticed the fleeing shades of red on her face. "Hinata-chan…." Slipping the smelling salts from his pocket, Naruto broke the seal on the vial and passed the foul thing under her nose.
With a surprised jerk, Hinata sat up and sneezed several times to clear her sinuses of the smell.
"We're really going to be working on that." she heard Naruto say from behind her head. "Passing out like that cannot be entirely healthy."
"Ano…" she whispered, her head dropping forward as she cursed herself repeatedly for that same weakness seeking her out even now. When a hand settled on her shoulder, Hinata glanced up into the concerned eyes of her husband.
"Don't do that, Hinata-chan. You've gotta stop apologizing for every little thing. Believe it, we'll find a way to make the fainting spells go away or my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto!" he exclaimed gleefully. She could only smile back helplessly in complete befuddlement over the entire announcement.
Maybe that was why she loved him, even when he was in love with someone else. Because no matter what, he would always put others before himself.
"Naruto-kun," she said before she was suddenly tugged firmly against his chest and then moving through the air until she found herself firmly cradled in his arms. "What are you…?"
Her questions became answers when she found him quickly moving over roof tops and back streets until they were back at the apartment. Set down on the couch, Hinata was left gaping as Naruto sent another set of clones out the door for dinner. "Never mind." she whispered. Apparently, Naruto was of the mindset that she was going to be spoiled… or at least, she told herself, that's what she hoped.
((break))
The night following was largely uneventful up until both began to suffer from the strain of missing sleep. For Naruto, it was Hinata's yawning behind a carefully placed hand that alerted him to the hour. The blond was largely unfazed on a physical level; it was the mental stuff that was leaving him weary. If felt like years to his beleaguered brain rather than mere days and hours since his entire world had been turned upside down.
He was a married man.
Now if he could just settle his thoughts on that, he'd be free to let them roam back to the other important things. Yet, it wasn't.
Apparently, being married came with other things. Settling down and having a family was expected. Assuming greater levels of responsibility for others was part of the general package with marriage he knew, but this whole Elder of Hyuuga thing was going to be a headache. It was the crush thing he had going for Hinata that was bothersome.
It was an uncomfortable feeling that had taken hold of his gut. Somehow, the feelings for Sakura had been much safer. Perhaps it was the change in everything… Hinata yawned again as she blinked wearily at the clock before giving into yet another yawn.
"Hinata-chan, are you tired?" Naruto asked.
"Gomen, Naruto-kun. I just…" she broke off as he suddenly stood and took her hand into his. "Ano…" Where is he going with this? Suddenly, she wondered if perhaps life hadn't just decided to sit on her as Naruto drew her into the bedroom and began rooting through draws before handing her an over sized T-shirt.
"I dunno if you had time to unpack or anything, but that should work until tomorrow. The shower is right here." he continued opening the bathroom door for her and reaching in to pull out a bright orange towel. Pressing that into her hands, he made his way to the dresser and rooted around in a set of plastic bags before adding shampoo, conditioner, soap, and other assorted products to the pile in her arms. "Just, I dunno, do whatever you normally do and ugh…"
Naruto swallowed a bit before clearing his throat just as quickly.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she watched him leave the room. Turning to face the shower, the former Hyuuga stiffened her weary spine and trudged into the room.
Naruto did what he did best when alone for hours at a time. He made ramen, with a glass of milk on the side, and then dumped the entire thing down the drain as his appetite fled. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked himself as he frantically tried to think about anything other than his wife.
"Okay," he said a moment later as he found himself suddenly pacing the room. "I'm married to Hinata of the Hyuuga Clan." Stopping there, he looked out the window at the face of the fourth.
"What the heck am I supposed to do now?" He exclaimed. Sinking his fingers into his hair, the blond chuunin slammed his head face first into the table and gave vent to the surge of bad language he'd stored over the last several hours. Sure he was good at adjustment in the thick of things; however, this whole marriage was an entirely new ordeal. He'd never planned to marry and now he was…
And I can't kill the man responsible. Damn him and that little wife of his. Sitting up straight, Naruto waited until the sound of the shower dissipated into nothingness before heading for the bathroom himself. Tomorrow was going to be a long day to get through. After everything else, the news of his marriage to Hinata was going to be making the rounds by breakfast. Naruto scowled at the thought of the coming mischief.
She was out of the shower when he reentered the room to prepare for bed and was staring at the single mattress in the bedroom like it was going to eat her. Or maybe it was just his imagination. Exhaustion tended to do funny things to the eyes after a while, he concluded as Hinata sighed before slipping between the sheets and rolling her side. Once her eyes landed on him, she sat bolt upright, even though Naruto was suddenly grinning at her. A moment later he disappeared into the bathroom only to reappear a moment later to retrieve pajamas.
"I forgot these." he laughed.
Hinata squeaked before promptly burying her head under the blankets and prayed for sleep or fainting or anything to happen…
And for once denied even that temporary relief even when Naruto slid in next to her once the room darkened. "Oh, sweet Kami." she whispered much to the sudden surge of nervous energy renewing the pounding of her heart before she heard the soft subtle shifts of Naruto beside her. What's next? She thought frantically. Only some time later, did she eventually fall asleep when absolutely nothing came of his sudden appearance beside her other than a snort and snore every few minutes.
Dawn broke with Sasuke standing on his doorstep glaring at a befuddled Hinata. Standing behind him, grinning like a mad woman, was the pink haired Sakura and a large purse. Hinata turned from looking at Sakura to looking up at the Uchiha who continued to glare at her.
"Naruto-kun is still asleep." she said, still trying to figure out what was happening so early in the morning.
"We know." Sakura smiled, "that's why Sasuke-kun and I are here. We wanted to take you two shopping for furniture and stuff."
"Ano…" Hinata whispered as she stepped back to allow them entrance. Perhaps, she decided, it'd be best to let them see things for themselves. Both of the Uchiha strolled into the apartment proper before abruptly freezing. "Naruto-kun sent his clones shopping yesterday."
"I can see that." Sakura mused as she ran a hand down the arm of the couch and blinked in surprise. "That's okay. We still need to talk to you."
"Hn. I'll get the Dobe." Sasuke said, making for the bedroom when Hinata jumped in front of the door.
"I wish you wouldn't." she said softly, raising a dark brow at the Uchiha should he deny her request.
"Hinata-chan, it's alright. Naruto tends to sleep really late anyway. It's good for him to get up early." Sakura tried to explain from where she stood, watching the Uzumaki woman put her arms up on the door frame.
"With all due respect, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, Naruto-kun is my husband now. It would be remiss of me to allow you to simply walk in here and…" she was startled from her speech when Sasuke simply picked her up and moved her aside.
"Uchiha-san!" she protested, voice rising in decibels as Sasuke disappeared into the bedroom. A mere moment later a surprised shout tore through the apartment complex leaving an amused Sakura, a stoic Sasuke and an irate Uzumaki in its aftermath. Stumbling from the bedroom a mere ten minutes later, Naruto settled a glare on his best friend.
"I should hate you, teme." Naruto muttered between clenched teeth.
"No, you won't. Sakura wants to take the two of you shopping after breakfast." Sasuke countered with a superior smirk on his face while wrapping an arm around his pink haired wife. "We have news to share with you anyway."
A hand thumped across his chest as Sakura made a soft sound. "We'll tell them everything in a bit Sasuke. You're going to spoil the surprise."
"Hn. Annoying." he commented.
"Stuff it, grumpy. You're just hungry." Sakura teased, turning to give Hinata a smile as well. "You're hungry right?"
"Hai, but…" she glanced at Naruto as the blond gave a tired yawn and leaned against his wall.
"Then there's no need to wait any longer. You're already dressed to go, Naruto is ready and I'm starved." Stepping free of her husband's hold, she hooked an arm around Hinata and began pulling the other woman out the door. "Come along you two. Food is waiting."
With a shared look the two best friends found themselves trailing after. Soon, Sasuke vowed, I'll complete the first step to reviving my clan.
((break))
"Father, why did you assign Uzumaki to an Elder's place?" Hanabi asked once they were alone at the breakfast table. The question had burned itself into her brain since the previous evening.
Lowering the tea cup he'd been holding, Hiashi glanced down the table at his sixteen year old heir. "The elders of this clan are used to having their way. They grow complacent and I trust Uzumaki to aid your sister and you alike into helping this clan survive such a weakness. The clan that grows used to its soil is often the clan that finds it self destroyed like the Uchiha."
"You think the clan is growing weaker?" Hanabi bowed her head at the question as she glanced down at her plate. "That doesn't make much sense. We've ninja like Neji in our ranks. Why would that make us weak?"
"It is not the talent we lack. It is the way our minds have become set. Regardless of power that a clan can claim, it should now be obvious to even our weakest number that a single entity can destroy everything. Complacent thought isn't developed through power. It develops through a lack of challenge and growth. We will rot unless something is done."
"I see." she agreed. "Then I hope the counsel knows what's coming to them soon. Uzumaki is bound to shake things up for them."
"Indeed. They vote on removing the Seal of the branch members next week." Hiashi concluded, "Enough, Hanabi. Eat your meal. There is business to attend to this morning before announcing my appointed Elder to the clan."
"This will not end well." she whispered in last commentary, not knowing if the statement was for the Hyuuga Clan or her brother-in-law.
Silence hung heavy in the air as Sakura placed a tea-cup in front of herself, watching as Sasuke bit into a tomato before she kicked his shin. A dark glare rose over the piece of fruit as he swallowed before setting aside the favored snack. A slender pink brow rose up in question as the Uchiha sat forward.
"Sakura wants you as the the godfather of the baby." he stated simply before going back to his meal. If he had paid attention, he would have seen a jaw drop, a face pale, and a third glance at her husband in grave concern. It was only the leak of killer intent that brought his eyes up to his outraged wife's face.
"You didn't have to tell them like that, Sasuke!" she snapped, her green eyes narrowing at her husband's seeming immunity to the lethal energy.
"Hn."
"What are you guys saying?" Naruto asked hesitantly. "Godfather to what baby?" Shock was clear across his pale features as he whipped his head back and forth between the other married couple. A hand settled on his arm as Hinata whispered his name in half concern, half in jealousy for the man who was in love with another woman.
"Sasuke-kun and I are going to be parents, Naruto." Sakura smiled, clearly pleased with the unexpected news. "Isn't that wonderful?"
"Hai." he choked out, wrapping tight fingers around his own cup of tea fighting the fraction of pain that welled in his stomach. He grinned at the Uchiha's before glancing out of the side of his eye at Hinata. "Guess this is a week for new beginnings, huh, Hinata-chan?"
She nodded, giving a smile in answer. Naruto continued to speak as he turned his head back to Sasuke and Sakura.
"So, this is why you two wanted to go shopping?"
"Hai." Sakura jumped in before her other half could respond, not that he seemed inclined to. "With you two newly married and us expecting a baby, it just seemed natural to take everyone shopping together." There wasn't anything Naruto could come up to answer that except to laugh.
What followed breakfast was nothing less than a tragedy of a man's pride as Naruto and Sasuke found themselves pulled through one baby store after another in search of the perfect arrangement of furniture. Once it was found, everything became even more tragic for the pair of male Shinobi as Sakura promptly lead the way back home and left the men to put everything together while she took Hinata out paint shopping.
A chance she said, for bonding time on all parts.
"Hn."
"You said it." Naruto murmured holding up a set of wooden bars that were painted a bright green. "She's totally nuts."
"Dobe, I don't really care what you think about it. If it makes Sakura happy then you'll damn well do it."
"I feel really sorry for your kids." the male answered as he effortlessly began twisting the bars into place.
"Hn."
Snickering at the subtle sound, Naruto looked up through his bangs at his friend. "What?" he asked.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Sasuke asked as Naruto set aside a finished crib side and moved rigging up the base.
"You mean this?" he asked, holding up one of the sides before slipping the legs into place and locking them. "It's actually a funny story. Back when we were all training and stuff, well, there was this mission in a place called Oni no Kuni. The priestess there hired us to help her with an issue and when that was done she asked me to help her carry out with something else. Anyway, about a year and a half ago I went and kept my promise to her."
Glaring at the blond, he launched a brow skyward as he took in the blond's bent head. "No." he breathed out.
"Yeah. Ask Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei about it. They were there and I think so was Neji, Lee, and Gai." Naruto answered.
"Why weren't you with them then?"
"I got reassigned to the Daimyo's court, Sasuke. You know that part. Even if you did bail on me two months into that damned assignment." Naruto growled through clenched teeth. Getting to his feet, he brought to hands in front of his face and flashed through the signs for shadow clones. Once the two extra bodies were available he twisted around to stare down at his friend.
"I'm going to go find Hinata."
"Hn."
"What is it now?"
"You're a father, dobe." Sasuke answered with a shake of his head. Unbelievable. Why didn't Sakura tell me about that part of their mission?
"So are you, teme." Naruto answered plainly. "Scary things are going to be happening now."
"Don't remind me." the Uchiha gave a visible wince as he remembered horror stories of his own about pregnant women. He only desired for Sakura to be one of the milder ones. "Have you told your wife yet?"
"Eh… We've only been married a day, Sasuke. Not exactly time enough to get things out in the open, you know?"
Bare feet padded their way across the foyer of the Hokage tower several times over as the blond woman glared once more at the clock. Did that man have to be late for everything? She gave the clock another ineffectual glare before sitting herself next to two nurses and a surprised guard. Each woman looked at the other before turning back to their charges and insuring they remained settled. Bright red hair sprung up in nearly all directions from both infants as Shion leaned over the shoulder of the on her right and smiled.
"You're daddy is going to be so surprised, little Shio-chan, yes he is. And Mido-chan is going to be a big surprise too, huh?" she cooed, switching to the left side and grinning at the bright purple eyes of her daughter. Despite the fact they were nearly identical, only one of the girls seemed to have inherited her eyes. The other was all her father's as Shion well knew. The man whom she'd once crushed on was certainly going to be shocked.