Cursed Lineages

"This is justice, Hinata-sama." Hyuuga Egumi said, his white gaze focused on the syringe in his hand. The machines keeping a steady track of the young Uchiha matron's vitals beeped and chirped, the only sound in an otherwise silent bedroom. Hinata laid in bed, eyes closed and body weakened by the drugs he'd been having Hinome feeding her slowly throughout her pregnancy. Wizened hands hovered near the IV, his body trembling as the last stages of his revenge were finally in sight.

"Had you taken the Hyuuga clan," Egumi continued, gravelly voice trembling with contempt. "I might have changed my mind about this. You were so different from the elder and your father. You wanted to change the Hyuuga, make it so that branch members like myself and Hinome never have to go through what we were forced to suffer. The cycle could have ended with you. I could have stopped punishing your line for letting our unborn child die, for the death of my first wife!"

He almost shook her then, wanting her to awaken, to see. But she would understand in the afterlife, when his beloveds passed judgment on her as they undoubtedly had the others.

"You only have yourself to blame." he whispered, his hand taking hold of the IV feed while the other readied the syringe for injection. "If you hadn't married that traitor and betrayed your clan, this wouldn't have happened. I would have stopped. You could have been spared." With a world-weary sigh, he slid the needle in.

Only for sharp pain to lance up his left calf. A hot a fierce ache that had him staggering back with a strangled cry, one hand slapping over a newly inflicted wound. Warm, rich liquid trickled down his leg to soak in his sandal and Egumi eyes flew wildly around the room in search of the perpetrator. His mind raced, panic and fear flooded his system for a brief moment at the chance of discovery, until he spotted not a guard or even - gods forbid - Uchiha Sasuke himself. Although the eyes he met were crimson, they were also large and underdeveloped, a child's eyes.

"Ah," Egumi managed to twist his lips into an insincere smile, his milky white eyes bright with barely contained malice at the hybrid. A tiny hand clutched his chest, just above the heart, while the other held a white-knuckled grip on a kunai. "Mitsuaki-kun." he greeted with false cheer and the boy's eyes narrowed as he inched closer to his mother's bedside.

"You..." Mitsuaki swallowed down a coughing fit, holding the kunai protectively in front of him, uncaring of the blood dripping from the blade's tip. "You stay the hell away from my okaasan." With considerable effort, the boy reached up and snatched the syringe down, crushing the contents beneath his foot. His heated gaze flashed from black to red, sweat beading his brow as he struggled to calm the erratic beating of his damaged heart with slow, calming breaths. "Come near her again...and I'll...I'll kill you."

Such words coming from a seven-year-old only made the elderly Hyuuga chuckle low. "Don't think that just because you caught me off guard that you can beat me, child. I was once an elite, and you're nothing. Look, I'll prove it to you." by now he had used enough healing chakra to stand and took one step forward.

"Don't!" Mitsuaki attempted to warn, but the word stopped short on his lips as a coughing fit broke free.

Egumi wasted no time, rushing forward to close the distance, unmindful of the machinery he knocked over in the process. He slapped the kunai out of the child's hand while his other hand snapped around a thin neck. A savage grin split along his leathery skin as he lifted Mitsuaki in the air, enjoying the way pale cheeks flushed red as the tiny body struggled in his iron grip. With his free hand, he slammed his fist against the side of the boy's head. Once, twice, pure unadulterated glee cracking his features.

Even through the pain, Mitsuaki, in one fluid motion, snatched the kunai holstered behind his back and jammed the pointed end through the underside of Egumi's wrist. His teeth bit through the inside of his cheek as he fought back waves of nausea, his unoccupied hand clamped down firmly on the elder's arm to drive the kunai deeper through flesh and bone. His bloodstained teeth flashed in a feral grin at the satisfying howl that erupted from his assailant, and he let go right as Egumi flung him aside. Air left his lungs in a rush as his back hit the wall, and black spots danced in front of his vision.

"You little bastard!" the old man's voice sounded very far away. "I'll -"

"Hakke Kūshō!" a burst of carefully controlled, but powerful chakra rushed past Mitsuaki, slamming into the enemy. Egumi's body crashed through the two neighboring rooms and bounced twice through the estate's halls before skidding to a stop some thirty feet away. Fighting to keep his chest from bursting and his vision from blacking out at the same time, Mitsuaki's gaze snapped over to the bed and he started at the sight before him.

Uchiha Hinata had risen from her bed, standing as tall and fierce as he had ever seen her before. The woman with her soft smiles and gentle kisses remained, Mitsuaki could clearly tell this was his mother, but a hard edge had emerged. Her skin had an unnaturally pale pallor, appearing damp and clammy with her bangs clinging in wet clumps. White eyes tinted with lavender were narrowed and slightly unfocused, her chapped lips were parted and she clearly seemed to have difficulties breathing. Still, even with her pregnant belly forcing her to keep her center of gravity low, his mother's juuken stance was absolutely flawless, and never in his life had he ever seen her emit the amount of confidence and determination she showed right then and there.

"Aki-kun," she called, her voice still as kind as he remembered, but her hardened gaze remained on Egumi as he struggled to stand. Where were all the guards? "Aki-kun?" she called again, but her words refused to register in his dazed state, and he only stared at her dumbly. "Mitsuaki." his head finally snapped up at her warm but firm tone, and her desire for a response finally sank in.

"Okaasan?" His mouth trembled around the word, still unsure if he was dreaming.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes." The lie came easily, because his pregnant mother stood before him, looking strong and tough even though he knew she probably wasn't, and his pride as an Uchiha refused to allow him to admit weakness when another suffered worse than he.

The corners of her mouth twitched upward in a knowing smile before melting back into her determined mask. "Aki-kun, you've done well, but okaasan will protect you now. This man will not touch you again."

She said the words with such absolute conviction, a promise lingering in her tone, that Mitsuaki could do nothing but believe her.

"Who is going to stop me, Hinata-sama?" Egumi finally pulled his bruised and battered body from the rubble, a sardonic smirk spread on thin lips. "Look at you, barely holding your stance. I don't know how you're awake, but that doesn't matter." he began to limp through the debris. "No one is going to come for you, they're chasing my false leads and the remaining guards have been...disposed of. The Hyuuga-Uchiha lineage ends here."

"Aki-kun," Hinata still kept her gaze glued to the enemy, chakra-filled veins bulging at the corners of her eyes. "Whenever you make your mind up to do something, you must never give up or give in, not until your last breath. That is what it means to be Uchiha, and that is what it means to be shinobi." She inched forward with her stance until she stood just past Mitsuaki, and scowled. "Egumi-san, you will not touch my son."

He had only ever seen his father fight once during a spar with his uncle Neji, but his mother moved with grace and speed he had not known she could posses. Mitsuaki knew his mother still trained, that she was a shinobi and was considered Oto's elite, but knowing something through hearsay and watching his mother practically glide over to Egumi and slam her palm into his chest as if he were some novice was something else entirely. Even pregnant with twins, his mother radiated power, or perhaps because she carried twins she was stronger, he had no idea. His mother reminded him of the stories of the mother lioness protecting her young, how viciously and terrible she would become to predators. For the first time in his short life, he felt truly awed and even a little fearful of this new and exciting side to his mother.

Egumi recovered quickly, however, and his mother immediately went on the defensive, batting away strikes aimed for her rounded belly. Their hands and feet were almost blurs as they exchanged blows, but his mother sacrificed too many hits to her arms and legs to protect her unborn children. The stress quickly took its toll, for Hinata was still ill. Egumi had also taken some powerful hits, and at his age, simply could not pull in the strikes he so desired.

Mitsuaki's senses went on full alert as a heavy spike of energy filled the room, a veritable darkness that threatened to consume him. His hands clawed at his chest, fighting for air, when a warm and familiar hand settled on top of his head.

"Whatever you do," his father's cold, stoic voice sounded like a dream come true to the small child. "Don't look in our direction."

Then his father literally disappeared, and Sakura-san burst inside, a heavy medical pack strapped to her side. She rushed over to Mitsuaki, her hands glowing with warm green chakra, and his eyes slipped closed right as he heard Egumi let out a blood-curdling scream.

Hinata plastered a smile on her face as she heard Sakura tell her husband just outside the hospital room that she was stabilized, and that the babies were fine. After her battle with Egumi, her body had given out and the heavy amount of stress her chakra system had taken demanded that she either give birth to the twins via-cesarean now a month early, or risk all three of them possibly dying. She couldn't even imagine how many hours had passed since entering, but with enough pain medications swimming through her system now, she couldn't care less. The twins would be brought in shortly, she had been told they were perfectly healthy for being a bit pre-mature, but her motherly instincts cried out to have her children either in her sights or in her arms.

Sasuke entered the room, bringing with him the scents of smoke and fire, and she allowed herself a sigh of relief as her husband moved to sit beside her. She reached for his hand and he gladly interlaced their fingers, bending down until their foreheads touched.

"They're breathing well on their own," he began. "And they're going to try having you feed them in a day or so when you recover from the surgery. They're actually not that underweight, so Sakura says if things go well, we're looking at a week, maybe two, of them having to stay here."

She squeezed his hand, hoping he could sense the waves of love and relief she was sending him. "I'm so glad. Mitsuaki?"

"A few injuries. He had heard Egumi sneaking around and had used one of the escape paths to backtrack to our room. It's how he got the jump on that guy. He strained his heart a little, but a little rest and he'll be fine."

"Oh! Sasuke, he..." she hesitated, not entirely sure how he would react. "Mitsuaki...before I was able to fully wake up and react to Egumi, I saw his eyes. He activated the Sharingan for the first time." her husband's dark eyes widened at the revelation. "It wasn't for long...but still..."

"Hn." He gave her hand a small squeeze, but his expression morphed back into calm neutrality, and his gaze shifted to their joined hands.

"Are you upset?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes...and no." Came the honest answer. "He's growing up, and that's a good thing but..."

He's growing up too fast. Hinata guessed, because she felt the exact same way. For her, it felt as if it were only yesterday she had been rocking her baby boy to sleep, and now he was old enough to join the academy and train to become a shinobi. While she did have two new babies to dote on, Mitsuaki was still her son, and she still adored him more than anything. She could only imagine how Sasuke felt, since he had spoiled their first born terribly - which he would probably deny until his final breaths - and had only really become detached due to his duties as Otokage. He would probably not dote on the twins the same way, because he would be too afraid to show favoritism - something he had resented as a child - but Hinata also had a feeling that he and Mitsuaki would have the sort of relationship his father had held with Itachi...although closer on a more emotional level.

At Sasuke's ever growing conflicted expression, she decided to change the subject. "They need a name," she began. "They're both boys."

"I already have a name for one." he said, shooting his wife a grin. "Kachiki."

Hinata blinked. 'A determined or unyielding spirit'. "It's...very fitting. Under the circumstances. Do you know which twin you wanted to name? They did let you see them, didn't they?"

"Yeah, it wasn't just a status report. The younger twin, he was a lot like Mitsuaki when he was a baby. Quiet. The older brother's a screamer. Your side of the family, I bet." he scoffed and chuckled when she pouted and playfully pushed at his arm.

"Ow." She winced as the stitches twinged in warning as she giggled. "You're terrible. Sakura says she doesn't know why I put up with you."

"I'll give you three once you fully recover." he muttered and she decided to pretend not to hear him.

"In any case," she continued, rolling her eyes. "I suppose it's my turn to come up with a name." Sasuke had mentioned the older twin had been loud. Compared to her other two boys, he sounded as if he would be the bolder one of the twins. "Kakan." As soon as the word left her mouth she knew she had made the right decision. "Yes, I think that fits him. Um, I'll spell the kanji if you give me pen and paper."

Her husband glanced over the name after she had written it down and nodded. "I like it. Resolute, determined, definitely bold. They're strong kids, Hime."

"They're our kids." She corrected, and the broad grin he gave her brought warmth to her heart. He rarely grinned so boyishly at her, the expression completely transformed his face, making him look more like the young man she had first fallen for all those years ago.

"Yeah." With careful movements, he wrote out Kachiki's name beside his brother's, the same loving gaze he had given Mitsuaki upon first holding him emerging. "Hey, Hinata?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna keep trying until we get a girl? I'll let you name her."

In response, her mouth dropped open and she gaped at him like a fish out of water, but he blinked at her with a perfectly neutral and deceptively innocent expression.

"Um...let me...l-let me think about it." Because at the moment, her initial response of 'hell no are you crazy' would only make Sasuke gloat, and she would not give him the satisfaction of being right.

AN: If you just read this, you did not read the Introduction chapter I added and you're utterly confused, please go back and read that, as it gives you a complete summary of the events leading up to this fic. I wrote this mostly to give folks some closure regarding the original Cursed Lineages fic, so I hope you enjoy.

Unbeta'd. Apologies for the grammar errors.