The Logical Conclusion
Chapter Two: The Paths We Follow
"Hai, see you tomorrow Shizune-san," Hinata said with a bow as she gathered her things and went out of the hospital. Hinata shifted a bit and arranged her backpack to a more comfortable position on her shoulder. She'd have to talk to her father soon about moving out. Neji too. She wondered how they would react to her decision? She hoped Neji doesn't get mad, he was always so concerned about her.
The preparations for the festivities were well under way and Hinata still hadn't found a place she could move to. She hadn't told her friends about stepping down from being heir, she still had time anyway and she didn't feel up to it. Not yet. She didn't tell them about her broken betrothal to Neji either since none of them had known about it in the first place. Both Hinata and Neji had decided they keep it between themselves first and wait for a while before telling the others. It was awkward enough at first with only the two of them knowing, it would be really weird if their friends found out as well.
The image of tears of joy running down Lee's face as he cried and went on and on about the flower of youth blossoming into love was an image Hinata could do without. Neji had looked horrified at the prospect and Hinata couldn't help but smile as she recalled her cousin's disgusted snort as they mused over their teammates reactions to their betrothal.
"Ten-Ten would wonder…it's not everyday you marry your cousin…but Lee will probably go into hysterics and do poses…"
"Kiba and Shino would understand to some extent. They're both from Clans after all so they're used to such procedures…"
"Only up to a point. It's different when the Clan has a bloodline limit to protect."
"Uhm."
It was a good thing they hadn't said anything. The betrothal had been broken after all and in a couple of week, everyone would know that Hanabi was the official Hyuuga heir and that Neji was engaged to her.
Hinata sighed.
Her relationship with Neji stayed more or less the same even after the Council's pronouncement, although there were some awkward moments between them when they thought too much about the new arrangement.
Neji and Hanabi.
It just felt wrong. Hinata really didn't know what she felt about her cousin. She loved him as her cousin, she liked him as a person and she was used to the idea of being married to him one day, she didn't mind. He was her friend, her companion, her cousin, her Neji-niisan and she felt comfortable with him and at peace…
But it didn't explain the queer ache she felt whenever she would see him and think about how he would no longer be her husband.
Neji and Hanabi.
Hanabi and Neji.
It was strange.
He's mine.
Despite them having other friends, Hinata would most often spend her time with Neji and he with her when they weren't busy and she knew that not having him with her most of the time would feel…different. Lonely. He was always there, protective and concerned; a silent reassuring presence that gave her strength. He wasn't the most talkative person in the world, but he was one of the people whom Hinata could relax around. He knew her already. The good, the bad, he understood everything and she didn't have to explain herself. With a look, a smile, he would know what she was thinking. There was a myriad of ways that silence could be interpreted and Hinata knew the meaning of each and every single one of Neji's.
When he didn't have a mission, when he wasn't training, when he wasn't attending to his duties…he would seek her out even just to see how she was doing, if her taijutsu had improved, what she'd been up to. Hinata was the same way with him. He always said he was tasked to be her protector so that was why when he wasn't busy training or performing his duty to the Hokage and Konoha, Neji would be seen with her.
Now he didn't need to be with her anymore.
Hinata was no longer heir and it was Hanabi that Neji would need to protect.
"Oh, you're still here Hinata?"
She hadn't even heard Sakura approach; just another one of her failings as a kunoichi, Hinata thought with a small mental sigh. She turned to Sakura and bowed politely. She wasn't very close to Sakura even though they had been classmates at the Academy and were both under the tutelage of the Hokage. Sakura could normally be seen with her teammates Sasuke and Naruto and Hinata didn't spend much time with them so she never did get to know Sakura that well.
Truth be told, what she had seen of Sakura when they were younger, Hinata hadn't really liked that much. She'd always been slightly indifferent to Sakura. To Hinata, Sakura was just another one of those girls who declared her undying love to Sasuke, a boy who was so obviously not interested. The only difference between Sakura and the other Sasuke fan girls was that Sakura was lucky enough to have Naruto's attention, something Hinata had dearly wanted for herself. Hinata didn't like the way Sakura treated Naruto back then but there was nothing she could have done.
There was a point in time though, when Hinata's indifference to Sakura had bled over into acute dislike. It was when Sasuke had left and Naruto had had to promise Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back. Sakura had cried and cried for Sasuke's return and Hinata had been so angry at the unfairness of it all.
What about Naruto-kun? Was no one going to think of him? His ninja way was never to go back on his word and he would most likely rather die than fail to bring Sasuke back. Naruto might be strong, but he wouldn't want to really harm or kill Sasuke. Hinata was quite certain that the Uchiha had no such reservations regarding Naruto.
In those days, Hinata had loved Naruto so much and she'd been so hurt that he would risk his life like that…and that Sakura let him.
But that was years ago and it didn't have any merit now. Still, no matter how nice and sweet everyone thought Hinata was, she was still human and she wasn't above feeling a bit of dislike here and there.
However, Hinata knew that people changed. She liked to think that she had and Neji's behavior towards her and the family had improved immensely. No, she didn't know Sakura very well but she respected Sakura's skill as a medic and her attitude seemed much improved and as for Sakura's inexplicable strong feelings towards Sasuke, well Hinata couldn't really begrudge her that. Just because she didn't understand why Sakura could like Sasuke didn't mean it was wrong.
After all, Hinata herself had once harbored an unrequited love for a certain blonde haired Shinobi with aspirations to become Hokage some day…and everyone hadn't been able to figure out exactly what she saw in the 'loudmouth dead-last' either.
It was his spark, his life, his hope and confidence. His steadfast belief in his dreams inspired her and that was why she liked Naruto and mistook her admiration for him as actual 'love'. Maybe Sasuke had a similar effect on Sakura or maybe Sakura saw something in him that Hinata herself could not. Whatever it was, it wasn't any of her business anyway. She smiled at the pink haired kunoichi. "Hello Sakura-san. Are you waiting for Naruto-kun and Uchiha-san?"
Sakura smiled and nodded. "Hai."
OOO
The bulk of Konoha's deadliest Shinobi population was made up of the members of different Clans. Families, who through the years, had learned to develop, master and specialize in techniques unique only to their own race. Of course that didn't mean that a person from an ordinary family would not be a good ninja, it was just that those born in Clans of Shinobis had sort of a head start in that they were weaned in the ways of their clan's fighting styles, techniques and beliefs.
The two prominent Clans in Konoha were the Byakugan users the Hyuugas and of course, their distant relatives, the Uchihas who were blessed with the Sharingan. There were debates and arguments stemming from the question of which clan was supreme, more noble, had the better bloodline limit. Now however, the arguments had dwindled down seeing as there were longer any Uchihas left alive except for Itachi, the S-Class Missing Nin and Sasuke, the younger brother who had vowed to kill him.
Everyone called him the Uchiha.
He wasn't an Uchiha.
He was the Uchiha.
Like he was the only one remaining Uchiha.
It wasn't true.
Itachi was still out there somewhere, the bastard. He was still alive and who knew what the fuck he'd been doing all these years? For all Sasuke knew, Itachi had already spawned a child or two and Sasuke might have illegitimate nieces and nephews running around somewhere, mothered by another S-Class missing nin with fucked up morals and a skewed way of viewing the world. Who knows, maybe one day he'd get to meet them. They might go and launch an attack on Konoha to try and get Naruto and release the Kyuubi for their dear old dad.
They might even drop by here to visit their uncle Sasuke.
The noble Clan of Uchiha and it had all come down to this.
Sasuke walked past the empty streets of the Uchiha residential district as he headed back out into town after taking a shower and changing his clothes. He wondered why he even bothered, he felt tired and he wasn't very interested in eating but he knew if he didn't show up, Naruto and Sakura would find some way to force him out of his house.
This nightly visit to the hospital to pick up Sakura before they all went out to dinner was just another one of their ploys to get him out more. He didn't really mind as much as he thought he would. It was slightly annoying, but he had to admit that it was better than sitting alone in his house and looking out of his window at the darkened streets and the empty houses that lined the Uchiha district of Konoha. Once before, those same houses had been lit from within with sounds of laughter and arguments and the noise that living, normal people made as they went about their everyday lives.
Now it was empty and all that was left were memories and ghosts and a lone figure sitting in a dimly lit house lost in thought of revenge and dreams of the future wherein the houses would be filled with noise and people once more.
It was all Itachi's fault, the bastard.
Even after everything Sasuke had undergone; leaving Konoha which was his home, training with Orochimaru, the curse seal…even after all the shit he'd put up with just so he could get stronger and attain his goals…he was still no closer to avenging his family and killing Itachi and he was still a long way away from reviving his clan.
Damn it, the seal was starting to itch again.
OOO
"Hi Sakura-chan! Sasuke will be a little late. So did you miss me?" Naruto asked as he turned a corner and jogged forwards, grinning that infamous smile of his.
"That Naruto! He'll never change!" Sakura said with a sigh as she tried to gesture for Naruto to quiet down near the hospital grounds. Several people were giving him looks and shushing him but Naruto seemed oblivious.
Hinata smiled slightly at the enthusiastic blonde, "I-I think that's a good thing Sakura-san," she said softly.
Sakura glanced at the Hyuuga heiress in surprise. Oh yes, she remembered Hinata as having a crush on Naruto when they were still genin. Sakura wondered if that crush had carried over to adulthood as well?
"What were you trying to say Sakura? I couldn't understand you," Naruto said as he stopped by Sakura. He glanced at Hinata and grinned at her. "Hi Hinata-chan, haven't seen you in a while, how's it going?"
"I'm doing fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered.
"I like your hair like that, you're growing it longer?"
Hinata's cheeks turned rosy, "A-Actually I was supposed to have it cut two weeks ago b-but I haven't had the time…"
"Oh that's a shame, you look so much cuter with your hair longer like that. That ribbon looks nice on you."
He said it so matter-of-factly that it was obvious he wasn't doing it to flirt; he was just stating what he thought of as true. Sakura grinned to herself as she watched Hinata blush and reach up to touch the ribbon she'd been using to keep her bangs out of her eyes.
"T-Thank you Naruto-kun. Ino-chan gave me the ribbon."
Sakura's was surprised at the mention of her old friend. She hadn't realized Ino and Hinata had become close. Sakura and Ino had drifted apart over the years but Sakura could still remember the time when they'd both been young and Ino had been her only friend. Ino had given her a bright, red ribbon to wear and told her that she was cute. Sakura had worried about her forehead being too big but Ino brushed her worries aside.
"The more you think and worry about it, the more other kids will tease you. Besides, you look cute even with a rather prominent forehead so it's okay. Don't let their teasing get to you."
Ino had been the first person to ever be nice to her and Sakura had thrown it away, all for Sasuke and because she was tired of staying in Ino's shadow all the time. Sakura had wanted space to grow and blossom. She still loved Sasuke and she wanted to shine on her own but sometimes she would think back and she would wish that she hadn't been so harsh…that she hadn't severed her ties with Ino so completely. She would not give up Sasuke, no, but she wished she didn't have to give up Ino as well.
"Sakura-san, are you alright?"
"Aa, hai Hinata."
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, Sasuke's going to show up, he just needed to change his clothes. They got torn during training today."
Sakura smiled at Naruto and nodded. She still worried about Sasuke but she knew he was getting better. The people of Konoha seemed to be accepting him well again and his fan girls seemed to have become even more numerous now, if that was even possible. She sighed inwardly, even more competition, great.
But there were still those who couldn't forgive so easily, people who feared Sasuke and feared that his presence in Konoha would prompt an attack from Orochimaru. Whenever they went out, they would still encounter odd looks from some people. Sakura sometimes marveled at her teammates.
One was the vessel of Kyuubi whom the Akatsuki were after while the other was an infamous Avenger bearing the curse seal of a Legendary Sanin and who had been poised to become the vessel of said Sanin, Orochimaru.
It was so hard.
With Naruto, it was easy enough. He was always happy and he seemed to carry the burden of ostracism well. He had friends and he was open and friendly and he wasn't one to dwell on his troubles. With Sasuke, it was different. Sakura wished that Sasuke would just open up to her. She loved him so much and she'd do everything, anything to make him happy. It was so frustrating that he seemed to want to carry his burden alone. She knew she and Naruto were closer to him than anyone else, she and Naruto were his friends but Sakura wanted to be so much more for him.
"Sakura-chan, hey Sakura-chan, you okay?"
"Yes Naruto, I'm fine," Sakura answered.
"You seem to be spacing out a lot," Naruto commented. "Don't worry, Sasuke's coming, hey look there he is!" Naruto said nudging her. "Although why you'd want to eat with him when I'm here is beyond me."
Good old Naruto, always there to distract her from her woes. Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes at his antics. "Shut up Naruto, don't be so loud near the hospital." She glanced up and saw Sasuke striding over to them wearing dark black pants and a blue shirt with a high collar, the Uchiha crest stitched on the side of the sleeve. As usual, the sight of him left Sakura feeling weak.
He was just so darkly beautiful; so tragic.
It broke her heart.
Naruto kept his smile up even when he saw Sakura's eyes soften and her lips turn up into a smile at the sight of Sasuke. Naruto didn't like it, but as long as Sakura kept smiling like that, then he would endure. He didn't ever want to see her cry again.
Not EVER.
Hinata's eyes saw all the little shifts in the two's expressions. She didn't need Byakugan to have insight into this situation. She looked down at her feet feeling uncomfortable to have witnessed what seemed like private feelings flash across her friends' faces. It felt like she had violated their privacy in some way, unintentional as it may be.
Naruto turned to Hinata and smiled, "Hey Hinata-chan, why don't you come on and have dinner with us?"
"Huh?"
Sakura turned and smiled. "Yeah, do you have anywhere else to go tonight?"
"No…not really…"
Sakura grinned, "Then you should definitely come with us! It would be fun!" She'd spent so much time with Naruto and Sasuke that she hadn't really had any female companionship other than Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san. It would be nice to be with someone her own age, a former classmate no less. "Don't worry Hinata, we won't have Ramen. It's my turn to pick where we eat dinner tonight and we can go to whichever restaurant you want."
"And you want Ramen, right Hinata? I remember I always saw you whenever I went to the Ramen Shop…"
Hinata's face colored at the reminder of her younger days when she did all she could to 'stalk' Naruto without being overt about it. "Uh…right…" she murmured, touching a palm to her hot cheek. Maybe she should join them for dinner. She didn't have anything else to do today anyway and she didn't want to go home yet. She avoided dining at home as much as she could nowadays. It was too awkward and she didn't want to sit there in silence with everyone else and pretend that everything was fine when they were taking everything away from her.
"So, you'll come with us?" Naruto prompted eagerly. He'd thought Hinata was weird before but she was really nice and he liked her because she wasn't like the others. She never looked down on him and she always tried to help him out. "I'll even treat you!"
"You don't have to if you're busy," Sakura added so as not to pressure Hinata. "But Naruto doesn't offer to pay very often so I think you should take advantage of the opportunity."
"Hey! I'm not stingy…!"
"Of course not. It's just that you don't have money most of the time…with the amount of Ramen you consume…" Sakura teased.
Hinata smiled at them and was about to agree to go when she spotted an approaching figure and she smiled in surprise. "Neji-niisan!"
OOO
Sasuke walked at a much leisurely pace and he reached the group at the tail end of the conversation his teammates had been having with the Hyuugas.
"Shut up Naruto," Sakura said. "We're not eating Ramen this time. We're eating good, healthy, nutritious food!"
"Well, maybe we can go out n-next time neh?" Hinata said with a soft smile.
"Hey you should come to Neji!" Naruto said.
"We'll see."
Sasuke stepped up beside Naruto and studied the two Hyuugas as they both acknowledged his presence; Neji with a slight nod and Hinata with a bow and a murmured 'Uchiha-san'. The older one, Neji, had been a good fighter and Sasuke wondered how much he'd improved since the Chuunin exams all those years ago. Sometimes it amazed him how long he'd been gone from Konoha and how much everyone had changed and how some things stayed exactly the same.
The younger one, the girl Hinata, had been in his class at the Academy. He never did pay much attention to her before, but he was a ninja and he prided himself in being aware of his environment so of course, even though he was wasn't interested in what was going on around him, he was at least aware of them.
He knew Hinata used to look at Naruto all the time, stutter and blush at his presence and the dobe was too clueless to notice it.
For as long as Sasuke could remember, Hinata had stuttered. It was a sign of insecurity and weakness and he felt she was too old not to have kicked the habit by now.
His parents had brought him over to the Hyuuga Estate for a gathering and he had slipped away from the adults because it was boring. He started to explore the large expanse of land and came upon a garden where he saw a little girl with dark hair that shone blue in the sunlight. "What's your name?" Sasuke asked as he bounded forward. He couldn't find Itachi anywhere and maybe the girl had seen him. When she turned towards him, he was surprised to see her eyes. "What's the matter with your eyes?" he asked, "Are you blind?"
The girl's face flushed a deep scarlet. "N-No…m-my eyes just look like this. E-Everyone in my family has the same eyes."
"Oh. Well my name is Sasuke and I'm four years old. What's your name?"
"Hi-Hinata. I-I'm t-three years old but I'll be f-four too, in December."
"Oh, you're younger than me. Have you seen my Oniisan? He looks like me but bigger. His name's Itachi."
Hinata shook her head. "I have an Oniisan too. I've been looking for my Neji-niisan but I can't find him anywhere. A-are you m-my c-cousin?"
"I don't know. I'm an Uchiha."
"U-Uchiwa?"
"No. Uchiha."
"Uchi-aaaaaaa."
Sasuke shook his head. "Not Uchi-aaaaaaa. Uchiha."
Hinata's brows crinkled as she concentrated, "Uchi…Uchiha."
Sasuke nodded. "That's right. What about you? What's your Family's name?"
"Hyuuga. I'm a Hyuuga." She looked a bit sad. "I guess…I guess we're not cousins after all."
"Don't be sad. We can play pretend if you like. You can be my sister just as long as you don't act all yucky and chase me around."
Hinata looked confused. "W-Why would I d-do that?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno, some girls do. It's weird. And they yell my name out loud sometimes. Like this, 'Sasuke-kuuun!'" he made a face.
"O-Oh. I w-won't s-shout your name Uchiha-san."
Later, while going home, Sasuke had told his parents about meeting Hinata. "She's very quiet and when she talks, she talks funny and she calls me Uchiha-san."
"Well thank you again for the invitation, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san," Hinata bowed and thanked them politely before bidding them goodbye. She gave Sasuke a bow and a polite 'Uchiha-san' before turning to leave with Neji.
"It's good to see that Hinata's on good terms with Neji now," Sakura commented as the two Hyuugas faded from view.
Sasuke started to walk in the opposite direction towards the restaurants and the other two fell in step beside him.
"Of course! And it's all thanks to me! I promised Neji that when I'm Hokage, I'd help change the Hyuugas and with Hinata as heir, we can all work together to make it happen."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and raised an eyebrow.
At Sasuke's look, Sakura began to explain what had happened. "You were taken to the hospital so you didn't see the match between Hinata and Neji during the first Chuunin exams we took Neji tried to…"
OOO
"When did you get back from you mission niisan?"
"Just a little while ago."
"Uhm…" Hinata fiddled with the strap of her bag. Neji had offered to hold it for her but she needed something to occupy her hands. When she was nervous, she tended to revert to her childhood habit of playing with her fingers. She could have stopped herself from doing so with conscious thought but sometimes, Hinata felt as if the constant motion of her hands helped her think somewhat and it calmed her. "A-Anou…you didn't have to come pick me up anymore. I mean, you have no responsibility anymore Neji-niisan. I'm no longer heir."
"You are until the ceremony," Neji said with a shrug. "Besides, I swore to protect you Hinata-sama. Not the heir to the Hyuuga. I swore to my father that I would protect Hinata-sama with my life and I intend to do that."
"You would also be needed to protect the heiress of Hyuuga. It would be hard to do both niisan."
"Do you doubt my capabilities Hinata-sama?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow, a smirk on his lips.
Hinata smiled and shook her head. "Iie."
Neji glanced down at Hinata. He had three years, but to Neji, it didn't seem nearly enough time. He didn't want to marry Hanabi. If given the choice, he would prefer to marry Hinata instead. His relationship with Hinata was complex and filled with so many nuances and subtleties that only they could ever understand. Theirs was a relationship of camaraderie, understanding, friendship and acceptance forged in the fires of anger, resentment, hatred and pain.
When he'd learned that he was to be betrothed to Hinata, a part of him had been surprised but the more logical part of his brain had somewhat expected it. Of course the Main Family would want to keep his skills within the Main House. He'd heard talk of it through the years so he wasn't so surprised when Hiashi told him about the arrangement. Hinata had been anxious and she asked for his forgiveness but Neji honestly told her that it was all right.
He didn't have romantic feelings for his cousin. In fact, if he hadn't been betrothed to her, Neji wouldn't have thought of asking Hinata to marry him. They suited each other well, he liked her company and he liked to have her in his life but that could have been accomplished simply by staying friends. Still, now that the circumstance had been forced upon him and Hinata, it didn't seem so bad. He wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life with her. How he and Hinata would go about producing the heirs for the next generation was a topic he'd shoved as far away from his mind as he could. A part of him always screamed that this was 'Hinata' she was his baby cousin and he shouldn't be thinking such Hentai thoughts about her. Neji agreed so he and his conscience came to the conclusion that such thoughts of procreation should be held at bay until the such time that it was needed to manifest itself.
Ergo, the thought of Hinata and the mechanics of sex should not be thought of until the wedding night…
With that in mind, he'd gone about as usual. He didn't alter the way he treated Hinata and he went about his normal routine of training and trying to improve his skills. His duty as ANBU captain kept him away on missions a lot and if sometimes while undercover he would see something that Hinata would like, he would get it and bring it back to her as a gift.
Nothing romantic about it…he did the same thing for his mother.
He did it simply because he wanted to see his cousin smile…because Hinata didn't smile that often. Not the genuine, knock your socks off, full-fledged smile he knew she was capable of.
"You know if you wanted, I would not have minded if you went along with your friends."
"That's okay…I wanted to spend more time with you anyway, Neji-niisan."
"You want to go have dinner somewhere?"
Hinata smiled and nodded. "That would be nice."
OOO
Some things changed, but there were some things that stayed the same. The mask Hatake Kakashi wore over his face was one thing that remained the same. It was still there as well as the hitae-ate all Shinobis wore tied lopsidedly over his head so that it covered his Sharingan eye.
What was different was that there was currently a silver haired toddler perched on Kakashi's shoulders staring down at Sasuke with disconcertingly bright, red colored eyes.
"I have a strange feeling you three only visit me for a chance to play with Kaori and eat my wife's cooking," Kakashi said lazily as he regarded all three of his former students who were at his front door.
"Kurenai-sensei can cook really well, but nothing beats Ramen. Sakura just likes playing with Kaori…hey ouch Sakura, what did you do that for?" Naruto complained as he rubbed the forming bump on his head.
Sakura glared at her blonde teammate. "Shut up Naruto! Don't listen to him Kakashi-sensei…"
Sasuke slouched and pushed his hands deeper into his pocket.
From her perch on her daddy's shoulders, Kaori chortled and blew a raspberry, baby drool trickling form the corner of her lips as she giggled.
"How cute!" Sakura exclaimed, forgetting about her reassuring their teacher. He was only kidding anyway. "Hello Kaori-chan! Did you miss Aunt Sakura?"
Kaori giggled and held on tighter to Kakashi's hair, prompting the Jounin to wince.
"Come on in," Kakashi said as he pushed open the door to his apartment. Naruto, Sakura and then finally Sasuke, all filed inside. He closed the door behind his formed students, the mask on his face concealing his wince when his daughter's hand tightened a bit painfully on his hair. "I'll be bald before this is over."
"What did you say sensei?" Sakura asked glancing over to him.
"Nothing," he said as he took Kaori from his shoulder and held her in his arms instead.
Naruto made a beeline for the kitchen while Sasuke and Sakura sat themselves on the couch. When Kakashi had gotten married, he'd traded his old apartment for a new, bigger one. It was spacious and airy and the large bay window at the corner let in the afternoon sunlight. Kakashi settled down on the floor, allowing Kaori room to crawl and show off her walking prowess. Sakura giggled when the little girl fell on her rump while trying to waddle over to the coffee table.
"She's so cute!" Sakura exclaimed again, delighted. She liked watching Kaori and it was the reason why she spent most of her day-offs hanging out at Kakashi-sensei's house. Who would have thought her sensei would take his eyes off those perverted books of his long enough to actually pay attention to a real woman, but then again Kurenai-sensei was really beautiful, Sakura had to admit. "Hey Kaori, you're so pretty neh?"
"Good thing she took after me," came an amused voice.
Kakashi grinned from beneath his mask and tilted his head back to smile at his wife who was wearing her Jounin uniform, which he so loved. "Hey Kurenai, come to relieve me of baby duty?"
Kurenai smiled and picked up their daughter. "Hey Kaori, are you causing your daddy problems?"
Kaori leaned over and pressed a wet sloppy kiss on Kurenai's cheek and then giggled.
Kurenai smiled down at Kakashi. "Did you change her diapers already?"
"Just another reason to appreciate my mask."
Something exploded from the vicinity of the kitchen and Naruto's exclamation floated over to them. Sakura stood up. "Naruto, what in the world have you done!"
Kurenai started to follow after the pink haired medic with a bemused smile on her face. "I think I'll go see what I can do to help." She handed Kaori back to Kakashi so the baby wouldn't inhale the smoke. Kurenai's hand brushed Kakashi's when she passed over Kaori and she smiled and pressed a kiss on Kakashi's left temple, which was not covered by cloth or his hitae-ate. Kaori giggled and patted Kurenai's face before scrambling up her father lap and throwing her arms playfully around Kakashi's neck.
Sasuke watched the exchange and wondered if his family had been like that. Most of his memories of his life with his family had begun to fade long ago, supplanted by images of red blood dripping down the walls of their home, of screams crying out for help and Itachi's voice taunting him of his weakness.
Hate me, let your hate grow, let it make you strong…only when your hate is at its greatest will you have a chance at killing me.
Sasuke rubbed his neck, stupid seal itching again. He knew he had to learn to keep a better control on his emotions to keep the seal from activating again. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Kurenai-sensei padded to the kitchen after Sakura. Every now and again, he would remember bits and pieces of his past, his childhood. Mostly, they were happy memories, snippets of a time when he was happy and innocent and his family was whole…of course he would always remember Itachi and it all boiled down to Sasuke's need to kill Itachi and avenge his clan.
He felt something wet and sticky on his pant leg and Sasuke looked down to see Kaori's fingers, dripping with baby saliva and whatever else he didn't want to think about, lying on his leg as she was trying to climb up to his lap. He looked at the girl feeling helpless. He glanced up at Kakashi, at a loss for what to do. He wasn't used to being around babies or toddlers or whatever it was that children were called at this stage in their growth.
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in an amused smile. "Just prop her up in your lap, she'll be content with that."
Sasuke, looking doubtful, followed his former sensei's instruction. Instead of picking Kaori up, Sasuke opted for sitting on the floor and letting her climb over him. Kaori seemed to have become fixated with Sasuke's hair and occupied herself with paying with the spiky strands.
Sasuke winced at a particularly painful tug.
"Do you remember when I first met your team and I asked you all to introduce yourselves?"
Sasuke tried to disentangle Kaori's hand from his hair while trying to keep her free hand from popping inside his mouth. He stared at his former teacher.
"I asked all three of you to tell me your goals and aspirations. Naruto said he wanted to be Hokage, Sakura just kept blushing and looking at you…do you remember what your answer was?"
How could he forget? It was the reason he lived, the reason why he did what he did. "Kill Itachi."
"What else?"
"Revive my Clan."
Kakashi nodded. He too had been aware of Sasuke's unrest even after he'd left Orochimaru and returned to Konoha with Naruto. Sakura had come to him with her concerns and Kakashi didn't think they were unfounded. Sasuke had left once; he could leave again. It was what Sakura feared the most. This time, Sasuke might not come back whole. He might not even come back at all. It was sad to see so much potential be wasted. Sasuke had the makings of a great ninja but his blind pursuit of power; his obsession to defeat and kill his brother, was keeping him from attaining true strength.
He was a good ninja, that was for sure…but Sasuke lacked the control needed to make tough calls, hard decisions. Determination, talent and the will to succeed could only take a person so far. One must also be able to steer these things in the proper direction so as it reaches it's full potential, right now Sasuke was stumbling along blindly looking for a purpose to exist.
Power, Revenge, Death…those were not enough.
Sasuke might not want to admit it but Kakashi knew that sooner or later, his former student would come to realize this. Being strong was not enough. Teammates mattered, friends mattered. Kakashi woke up everyday and he would see the Sharingan gazing back at him before he covered it and he would remember his past mistake and he would forever regret losing his friend, Obito.
It was a reminded that there was more to life than being the strongest, more to being a ninja that succeeding on your missions.
There was more to life than being a Shinobi.
The price for these lessons had been paid for by the blood of his friends and loved ones. He'd had to learn to live and move and and now, he had Kurenai, he had Kaori and he had his friends and colleagues.
Sasuke persisted on being alone, even in the midst of a sea of people he would still stand out as a black hole. How long would it be until he gets frustrated and the seal takes over again? He needed a purpose, something to live for other than killing Itachi.
Kakashi thought of a possibility that might just divert Sasuke's attention from his brother and revenge long enough for him to realize that there was more to life that gaining enough power and strength to avenge his family's deaths.
"You know, you don't have to kill Itachi first."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he extracted the finger Kaori had popped into his mouth. "What are you saying?"
"I'm not saying you give up on killing Itachi, but have you ever thought about what would happen if you died?"
"That's why I need to become strong. So I won't die when I face him. The whole point of going to Orochimaru was to gain enough strength so I can kill Itachi, not be killed by him."
Kakashi maintained his deadpan expression even in the face of Sasuke's irritation. Kaori seemed to be picking up on her 'playmate's' condition because she gave Sasuke a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Kakashi thought that Kaori may have perhaps been the first female non-Uchiha to succeed in doing such a thing and lived through it.
A small, amused smile tugged Kakashi's lips at Sasuke's expression. It was hard to keep your anger up when you have a baby clinging to your neck and blowing raspberries near your ear.
"In every battle, a ninja sustains injuries some more serious than others. You can't think that you can just go and fight Itachi and come off unscathed."
"I'm not stupid."
Then why do you act like you are sometimes? "Let's say you killed Itachi but you sustained fatal wounds and you die…what would have been the point?"
"I avenged my Clan."
"I thought you wanted to revive you clan too? How can you do that when you're dead?" Kakashi looked Sasuke in the eye. "You can still kill Itachi, but don't you think you should start considering reviving your clan first? Do you really want the Uchiha Clan to be a mere memory?"
Sasuke looked down at the child in his arms currently chewing his thumb.
"Find a wife, father some children…" Kakashi thought this might not be the best way to word things. He knew how Jiraiya would put it. He'd reach all the installments of Icha Icha Paradise enough times to know how the Sanin thinks but that probably won't be appropriate. How would Kurenai put it? "Uh…don't just get a woman for the sake of impregnating her alright? Get a partner, someone you'd want to rebuild your clan with. You have almost all the women here in Konoha at your feet; it shouldn't be too difficult for you to find someone up to your standards. Someone your parents would approve of." There, that was good. Kakashi gave himself a mental pat on the back. "Think about it."
Just then, Sakura appeared from the kitchen, wisps of pink hair escaping her cherry clip as she informed Sasuke and Kakashi that Kurenai had successfully managed the little 'problem' Naruto caused and that lunch was well on its way. She leaned down and patted Kaori's head, grinning when the child grabbed her hand for a second before letting it go in favor of holding on to Sasuke's hair. "Oh well, I guess she likes him better than me. I feel so betrayed." Sakura said with a laugh.
"Anata, set up the table please," Kurenai called from the kitchen.
Kakashi started to get up.
"I'll do it sensei," Sakura volunteered.
Kakashi nodded at Sakura, always glad to have one less thing to do. He glanced at Sasuke. "You know, taking care of Kaori would help prepare you better when it comes time for you to take care of your own children."
Children.
Uchihas.
Sasuke stared down at the little girl in his arms.
Kaori stared back and smiled, placing her sticky fingers one in each of Sasuke's cheeks and chortling.
Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "Hn…"
OOO
To Be Continued…
OOO
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and inspired me to write this chapter. I hope you liked where I'm taking the fic. Criticisms, questions, suggestions are all welcome. Okay, this is a NejiHinaSasu but I'm trying to make the development of their relationships gradual and believable. I know there are hints of NaruHina and SasuSaku in this chapter but it would never amount to anything. NejiHinaSasu all the way!
Endless – Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you appreciate the emotions and the story. I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!
Kanamey – Hi, glad you liked the fic. It would have been good as a one shot huh, but I wanted to continue it and people seemed to want to read more so yeah, I wrote more. I hope you liked this chapter, please tell me what you thought!
Aayesha – I'm glad I've kept them in character. I'm not very familiar with Naruto, I've only watched up to the Chuunin exams cuz I watch it on TV so most of what I know I read from fanfics. I hope you liked this chapter and I didn't butcher their personalities too much.
Jan-I-am – I am a card carrying member of that movement as well. Have you visited Hyuugacest? They have wonderful NejiHina fanfics as well as some great SasuHina. Don't worry, they will all end up happy. I hope you update Love Letters soon too!
Zivanka – Thank you! I'm glad you like my story. Don't worry, plenty of NejiHina moments as well as SasuHina moments. I adore love triangles and all the angst it involves! I hope you liked this chapter.
NanamiYatsumaki – Thanks so much for the review and encouragement. I know, my mom is Chinese and in some Chinese families, you have to marry the person they pick for you or someone who is also Chinese. Good thing my mom's family isn't like that. As For SasuHina, don't worry lots of SasuHina moments and NejiHina moments as well. I hope you like this chapter! Please review!
Forested Shadowz – I know, Clan Rules Suck. (grins) I hope you liked this chapter. Sasuke's so cute! I'm glad you liked the story and I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a let down.
Kenshinlover2002 – Hi! I'm glad you like my story. Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter as well. Please tell me what you think!
Lesha – Definitely more SasuHina coming up, but it's going to be gradual cuz I want it to be believable. Too many fics out there rush the development of their relationship and it destroys I think, the nuances of their characters so I hope I'll be able to do justice to Sasuke and Hinata's personality quirks. If at any point you think I'm doing a bad job of it, please feel free to inform me! Thanks!
A.B.C Otaku – Hey there! So you're reading my Naruto fics too huh? I fell in love with this anime, darn it it's distracted me from Kenshin! Oh I would love to see your drawing but the review thing deleted it. Can you send me the address in an E-mail please? Thanks!
Fractured Wings 01 – Sorry, haven't had time to return your E-mail yet. Anyway, I will be updating the other Sasuhina story but not yet. I wanna concentrate on this one first. Well, I hope you liked this chappy! Please tell me what you think!
Littlesilverflower – Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Did you like it? Hate it? Please tell me what you think!
Shells – glad you liked it. More SasuHina coming up! Wouldn't it be great to Neji jealous when he realizes his feelings for Hinata runs deeper than he thought? Hehehe…
Lun – Since I didn't want to be taken down by a hitman (grins) I updated. I'm glad you liked this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I loved your review and I'm glad you thought that I managed to make the story both sweet and painful. Thank you, that was inspiring. Please review!
Toorikosu – Aw, it made you wanna cry? Well, at least I know I did my job well if you were touched by the story. I hope you liked this chapter too!
Jasmine Starlight – I know, it's a good thing too cuz I love SasuHina fics as much as the NejiHina ones. Oh geeze, I hate SasuSaku as well. Not only is it unrealistic, its annoying and I hate Sakura. It might not reflect on my writing her character, but I do dislike her a LOT. I don't wanna partner her with anyone, except maybe Lee. I think Neji's too good for her. (I'm so mean to Sakura but I really don't like her, especially the way she threw away Ino's friendship for Sasuke.) Hope you liked this chapter! Please review!
Tami – I'm glad you liked my fic! Yeah, I mean if the Hyuuga doesn't change, sooner or later someone would go berserk, especially in the Branch House. They're too rigid.
Random Reviewer – Hi! Actually the plot of this story is a bit like that. Major Angst factor in the later chapters. I wanna say more but that would divulge the whole plot for the story. Anyway, if you wanna know more about the plot then feel free to E-mail me if you like, I don't mind. I hope you liked this chapter!
Yume – Hi! I know, this is my dream fic too and I got fed up waiting for someone to write something like this. I would love to be the one reading a story with NejiHinaSasu love triangle but I can't find any so I decided to just go ahead and go for it. I hope you like where I'm taking this fic!
ROLAMdimensi – I'm glad you liked my fic! I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing and that you like the character developments! Please review! Thanks.
A. L. S – Thanks for the review and encouragement. I'm relatively new to Naruto so I'm still feeling my way around this fandom. I'm glad you liked my story and I hope you liked this chapter!
Candy44 – definitely, SasuHina rocks. I love NejiHina too though so there would be equal amounts of the lovin'. I adore love triangles. I'm taking the relationship development of SasuHina slowly though, to make it believable. Hope you don't mind.
Khmer Shinobi – Hi! Thanks for the review! Yeah, I love SasuHina. As for NaruHina, only certain fics because I've come across Naruto/Hinata fics where Naruto learns that Hinata likes him and then immediately declares he likes her too and the next thing you know, they're kissing. That's so unrealistic and its unfair to Hinata because it seems Naruto likes her only because she likes him and not because he appreciates who she is. AS for NejiHina, that pairing totally rocks. (I know, its kind of like incest but they're so cute together and oh, the angst!)
Arte7 – Oh goodness, I love your fic, The Pages Turn. Please update soon, it's the best. I wanna know what happens now that Itachi has been cheating on her and who kidnapped Hinata? Please update, onegai!
Makotojs – Thanks so much for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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