A/N: Enjoy, I hope you like this one!!! Reivew please.

Four Seasons

Summary: Sasuke Uchiha finds that his wife disappeared, and she will not return to him unless he shows the ability to be a true father, kindness, and a gold heart. She leaves their child with him, the dead line is four seasons (a year); if he doesn't show those 3 things she vowed never to return to him and take their child with her. Can't be too hard right?

Chapter 3: Could You Keep It Down, Sasuke?

"Sasuke, really?" His neighbor, Atoka Yurimoto groaned, turning over on her bed restlessly. Sasuke of course couldn't hear her on account of him being many yards away. It was very late at night, no more than 10:30 though. Sasuke was hammering something, and people began to become curious and worried. Curious because of the length that it had been going on for, and worried because little Akira was in the house too.

The neighborhood committee decided that one of them had to go talk to him about, they just had to, Sasuke was being noisy and insensitive about this.

"I nominate Yashitora." Muttered Atoka as she looked to her baking rival, Yuki Yashitora, with more of a glare of competition, than the smile she gave her.

Yashitora shifted in her seat and moved her hair back with her fingers curled. She didn't wear glasses, but she looked like the kind of person who would. She cleared her throat before speaking.

"As leader and founder of this committee I nominate Atoka Yurimoto." She said with authority, her voice was loud and her words clear. Yurimoto looked as if she had planned to do so anyway and had a smirk of confidence on her face.

"Okay." She said before rising, eating her last cookie and grabbing her purse to go to Sasuke's house. After she left, they all gathered to the window that was parallel to Sasuke's house, nudging each other and chatting.

Atoka knocked on the door with force, in case Sasuke didn't hear her. The hammering stopped, and the door opened just a bit. Sasuke stuck his head through the door, which was barely opened.

"Why, hello Mrs. Yurimoto, how can I help you?" Sasuke asked standing up straight, and opening the door wider. Atoka Yurimoto quickly glanced inside his house.

"Um…Sasuke you're hammering pretty loudly, and at 10:30 at night it is pretty hard to try and sleep. As you must know the committee sent me, and I was wondering if you were okay, you look pretty pale." Yurimoto said, jumping ahead of herself, before Sasuke had a chance to reply she apologized and greeted him properly.

"Come in for tea and pastries I insist, so that I can explain to you why I'm doing all this." Sasuke said, opening the door further for her to step in. Sasuke continued as they walked to a set table, with tea prepared and pastries.

"It looks as if you expected me, Uchiha." She said nervously, sitting down and drumming her finger tops over the rock granite table. Sasuke smiled.

"I was expecting company, yes. But, take this as no offense, it wasn't you." Sasuke said warmly, Atoka Yurimoto blushed a deep red color on her entire face.

"Well, you must know I didn't mean to intrude. But, if I might ask who would be coming at 10:30 at night?" She asked. Sasuke moved in closer.

"Ino." He said grinning ear to ear, the smile that was once on Atoka's face disappeared into a frown.

"Sasuke, b-but, she left weeks ago…" She whispered, as if she didn't want Akira who was in his diapers watching wrestling and eating baby food as he sat on the ground playing with toys.

"Don't think me crazy, but I can just feel tonight is the night." Sasuke said with giddiness. Atoka felt it was too late for that, but she kept quiet looking around. She had half a mind to knock Sasuke out, grab the baby and run.

"That's good; well what was all the sound for?" She asked hoping that he was going to say renovating the kitchen or something.

"Uh…well, I'm sorry to have bothered you so late at night, please tell the neighborhood committee they have my apologies. Good night, Mrs. Yurimoto." Sasuke said instantly, he fumbled to put down his drink and he staggered to the door, opening it. He stiffed a smile on his face. The woman did not budge, normally had it been 2 years ago she'd bolt to the door, away from him. But a baby was involved and if it meant fighting the Uchiha, let it come to that.

"Mrs. Yurimoto, please it is late at night. I want to rest before she comes." Sasuke smiled, it was a crooked smile that held anxiety within it. Atoka's mouth twitched, "Sasuke, please let me take Akira home, you can have him in the morning." Atoka said slowly. Sasuke's bit his lip and withheld his comment.

"I assure you Ino will be back tonight, so please don't bother about my so—" Sasuke started with a weary smile.

"Sasuke I will not allow you to—!" Atoka yelled excitedly, her anger was evident and it almost threw him off guard.

"Look, I won't harm my son. This hammer, was used for fixing his crib, it was starting to creak. That's all; I just installed a new one. So please, before Ino comes and thinks ill of this situation—leave." Sasuke said with exhaustion, Atoka settled down as she lowered her shoulders.

"Oh, okay may I see it?" She asked with a smile, Sasuke pointed to the professionally accomplished white crib that looked technologically advanced. It had a dome that covered it with stars and the moon, and a lullaby button on the inside.

"Oh, I see…thank you for the tea and pastries. I apologize for such an accusation." She said getting up to leave. Sasuke bid her farewell.

"Oh, and Sasuke I hope Ino returns just like your hoping she is. Bye." Atoka said leaving. The committee sighed in relief; from the shouting they had heard earlier they thought for sure Atoka was a goner.

"Look, if you need anything, all of you, just swing by." She said smiling before leaving.

11:07

Sasuke sat in boredom on the chair; he stared at the door with a tired look on his face.

"I guess I was wrong…" He said tearfully.

"About what?" Ino asked him from behind, Sasuke stood up with energy.

"I wanted to come through the front door, but I got scared and waited until the right moment." Ino said softly, she looked into Sasuke's dark black eyes with equilibrium of cheerfulness, but she looked down nervously.

Sasuke tilted her chin up, and kissed her.

"No, no you were fine. I want you to never be scared, ever okay?" Sasuke said before kissing her again. Ino blushed, and covered her red face.

"Gosh, I feel just like a high school girl." She said embarrassed by the fact, Sasuke put her hands down and he kissed her again.

"Nope, you're just right to me." He said leaning in again, Ino stopped him with a more serious look on her face.

"You promised." She warned, with her finger. Sasuke moved back, trying to suppress the urge to take her then and there and never allow her to leave again, resist the temptation to express every bit of bottled up emotions, but he couldn't he was on a promise. They sat down at the same table that he was at a little more than half an hour ago.

Ino smiled looking around, "Well aren't you Mr. Handyman?" she laughed sweetly, Sasuke got lost in her sugary voice and didn't reply. He was becoming "excited" for her, but he stared at her instead—forcing himself not to ruin such a rare moment.

"Okay, so where are the cards?" She asked softly, trying hard not to be too unfriendly to Sasuke. She loved him after all, and so she fought the feelings to take him back.

"Huh, oh that's right…" Sasuke said, picking the cards out from his pocket. He looked through them to make sure that they were right. He handed them over. The hokage ordered the two to work together on a mission, in a chance to try and get them back together, but Ino wasn't buying it. She began to talk of what route she wanted to go in the mission, but Sasuke was barley listening he was focusing more on her body and voice, the way she smiled and moved. He even liked how she would sip her tea when her voice became raspy.

"Is it too cold, because I can reheat the tea again." Sasuke said reaching for the kettle, Ino allowed him to reheat it.

"Sasuke, it's so hard being from you—being from Akira. But, I just want us to live together again, without you being like you were before." Ino said, Sasuke so wished that he didn't promise not to do anything non-work related, but he just smiled and said "I'm getting there." While he went, she remembered her earlier conversation with Tenten.

Earlier that Noon

Spring had rolled around a few weeks ago and as the trees blossomed so did the raven haired man. Sasuke was now known for hosting various tea parties for the poor, buying houses for the homeless temporarily, and giving food to the starving. People thought Ino surely would take him back, but what they didn't know was that Ino knew him better than all of them.

"He's fronting..." Ino said knowingly, she clicked her tongue in anger as she sat cross legged on the stool at the ramen shop. She was under disguise in vain because Sasuke disliked ramen and wouldn't have thought to look for her there.

"Are you sure Ino-chan? Only because he looks like he means it..." Tenten whispered, looking to the much happier people pass by, she smiled and waved to some of them but when she redirected her attention to Ino she was face to face with a stern look.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he's faking all of this; if I take him back he'll go right back into the cheating heartless bully he was before." Ino said, Tenten's eye brows rose in surprise.

"He was a bully? I knew he was heartless and cheating, but how did he bully you?" Tenten asked, Ino switched legs and scooted closer, careful to not let anyone else hear.

"One night Sasuke comes home drunk and I mean ridicuously drunk, I was pregnant at the time so I avoided him but he kept whining for me to come sit and talk to him. He hadn't been home for days on some buisiness trip so I reluctantly went by him for a bit, covering my nose with my hand so I would inhale the intoxicational smells. He has this lopsided smile plastered on his face, like really menacing. He grabs me without warning and pulls me close. I tried to not seem scared, and put on a bold face demanding to be released. He laughs and me and starts playing with my hair. I began to warn him that I meant it, he had better let me go. He yanks me my hair, and cupped my face harshly and tell me if I didn't have his heir in me he'd do something so horrible to me that I'd regret ever marrying him. I rolled my eyes because his voice was too slurred to be taken seriously, but he has me pinned to the ground soon and he begins to yell insults at me. I cry when it becomes too hurtful and all he does is laugh. I tried to move away but he was faster than me, dodging my attempt to force him off of me. He's grinning by then, and he begins to make fun of me even more. That's only some of the things he's done to me, I forgave him every time, and took him back. Except this time I forgave him I made sure I wouldn't have to go through this again." Ino said Tenten was in tears by the time she finished her story.

"Don't go back to him, take Akira and leave." Tenten says wiping her eyes, Ino looks away but nods her head, with half a mind to do just that.

End of Flashback

Ino smiled to her husband, he looked slightly changed, almost healthier as well. She hadn't heard of him doing anything that would halt her from taking him back. Maybe she'd just wait a few more weeks, like two or one…The gurgling from her sleeping baby stopped her thoughts. She so very much wanted to pick up her baby boy and play with him, but disturbing him was too much so she sat down and waited. Sasuke hurried back with the tea, and smiled touching her hand.

"Honey, are you thinking of coming back?" He asked, he knew better, but he just couldn't take the pain of not having her in his arms at night. Of not, being able to cuddle up to her randomly in the kitchen whispering hormonal, yet harmonious things in her ear.

"Look, Sasuke I won't lie, it's on my mind so much, but I have to be sure, I have to." She said smiling, Sasuke grinned back, "As long as you are thinking of me." Sasuke said softly.

Ino's eyes widened, Sasuke went behind her and softly nibbled on her neck, Sasuke was becoming quite the Casanova and she was enjoying his better skills. He slipped his arm around her waist; she put her hand on him, moving her neck over.

The alarm clocked sounded for Ino to go home before Sakura (whom she was staying with) would worry and what-not. Ino smiled weakly, Sasuke smirked from behind her and let her get up. She turned to face him and they said their goodbyes. It took his heart right out of him watching her leave, but if it meant her happiness as him changed he would bear it. In fact, he used her words as inspiration to do better,

"I'll have you yet, love, and thoroughly too." Sasuke smiled, he had a plan.

A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this!!! Review, review!!! Man, Sasuke's getting really close, but how close is he in actuality? Will Ino take him back? Will I stop asking questions, find out next time on: Four Seasons!!!

God bless you.

Snowywolfe!