Oddity
Chapter Three
-Let the Game Begin-
"Alright girls!" Natsumi called, getting the group's attention. After meeting at the Uchiha's house that morning they had gone out to breakfast and enjoyed a nice, quiet meal without anyone cracking a sex joke or trying to throw food in someone else's face. Now they were in a clothing store. It was pretty nice, but none of the girls really understood why they were there.
That is until Natsumi turned around from the counter and called out, "Ta-da!" she giggled, showing off a black, fitted v-neck shirt. They all stared at her absently until Izayoi spoke.
"Okay? What's that for?"
"Well I'm glad you asked, my sweet little flower." The pink haired woman smirked, turning the short sleeved shirt around. On the back, in neat white print, it said 'Queen'. And before anyone else could interject, she picked another one up and tossed it to her daughter. Izayoi looked at the shirt and then the back and saw 'Iza' in the same style print as her mother's. Ami caught hers and saw 'Mimi' on the back of hers.
She looked up at her aunt with a bored gaze as everyone else was tossed a shirt. "We're going to get dirty…aren't we." She stated.
"That only depends." The Anbu head smirked, handing out the rest with their own nicknames on the back. "But I expect perfection from the family. Right, Iza?" she said, looking back at her daughter, who frowned slightly.
"Right Mom…" she sighed, looking over her shirt like it was the most interesting thing ever.
"Now," Natsumi turned back around and handed out matching black shorts, different length so that they could all choose what they wanted. Talia bounced happily, appearing excited.
"This is gonna be awesome."
Ami sighed. "Maybe to you." she grumbled, deciding to go with a shorter pair. If they were doing anything she thought they were doing, then shorter shorts would be best so as not to get in the way. They all went back into the changing area of the store and put on their outfits then, emerging around the same time.
Ayame smiled. "These are really cute Aunt Sumi." She said, looking at herself in one of the mirrors. Minako nodded in agreement with her daughter.
"Yes they are."
"It's going to be so fun. I know you'll all enjoy it. Plus we get to enjoy the gorgeous day and the outdoors!" Natsumi cheered and then started to laugh manically. "And finally I will be in the lead and this tie will end!"
Hikari frowned. "Tie for what?" she asked.
"Really?" Izayoi growled, glaring at her mother. "That's what this is all about?"
"What?" Talia asked.
Natsumi simply waved them off, smiling happily. "Oh, just Akito and I have this little…never ending competition of wins going on. We're tied at one eighty-seven even and this is the perfect event to pull me ahead."
Minako shook her head. "You and Akito-kun never change." She chuckled.
Ami gave her aunt a hard look. "Why is it that we all have to suffer from yours and uncle Kito's psychotic need to be the best?"
"Oh hush." The elder woman huffed, grabbing the bag and heading out. "You know you all have a blast when we play our games."
The group of women followed her, though Hikari and Talia were still confused. That is until the pale haired woman snapped her fingers, a smile coming to her face. "Oh! So that's what Noriaki meant when he was telling me about the stuff you guys play!" she said. "He never let me come along because he said something stupid about not wanting my 'luscious lady curves' to be damaged in any way." She rolled her eyes. "This is going to be fun."
Ayame nodded. "Sports are one of the best ways for families to bond." She said.
Izayoi simply shook her head. "It's a lot more violent than you think. He probably just didn't want you to get hurt."
"Oh don't scare them off now little princess." Natsumi chuckled.
"She couldn't if she tried!" Talia cheered, clapping her hands together.
Ami snorted. "As if you would be playing. You'd get killed."
The blonde frowned, looking very upset. "What? I don't get to play? That's not fair."
"Sorry Talia, but you won't be able to play."
"But…why?"
Natsumi stopped for a moment and met sad amber eyes. "Because I need a referee who can't be affected by genjutsu."
This made everyone stop and give the blonde girl surprised looks, except for Izayoi. "You're not affected by genjutsu?" Ami asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"How come?" Ayame's look was similar to that of her sister's.
She simply shrugged. "It was my dad's kekkei genkai. I guess I must have gotten it from him."
The pink haired woman nodded. "She's a very special girl, that's for sure."
"So when are you going to tell us what game you and Akito-kun picked for us to play?" Minako asked.
Natsumi snickered, stopping when they finally came up to a large baseball diamond, without the backstop. Izayoi arched a curious brow, "I don't get it."
"Kickball!" The pink haired woman declared happily, since now all the girls were dressed in matching attire.
"YES!" Ami actually cheered. "I'm gonna dominate." She declared, a somewhat evil and psychotic look coming to her face. Her cousins may be fast, but none of them could kick the ball as far as she could, and even their speed wouldn't be able to match that of a projectile set in motion by her monstrous strength.
The two looked triumphant. "That's right Ami. We're going to dominate. With all that power and my speed, we'll be unstoppable. Not to mention my ace." Natsumi snickered looking at her daughter.
The dark haired girl shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Man…why do I always have to play that card?"
"Because it always works." Minako said with a nod.
Natsumi agreed with her sister in law. "Everyone but one of them."
Izayoi shook head, walking off to the field and looking around at the set up. Talia looked over and nearly broke the sound barrier. "Sano!" she called when she saw the boys, who were all wearing white v-neck shirts. The blonde ran over to them and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, snuggling into his chest. "It's about time!"
Sanosuke smiled slightly and returned her embrace. "Well we had to go and pick up Chitose to make the teams even." He explained.
"I don't see the point." Sasuke sighed, making his way towards the group of women. "I can already tell you who's going to come out the victor."
"And who's that grandfather?" Izayoi asked, stopping beside him and giving him a gorgeous smile.
Sasuke stopped and gently cupped her chin, the corner of his mouth tilting up a bit. "I think we both know the answer to that little flower." He responded. "Best to let your parents play though, so that the win is legitimate."
"Yeah…" she sighed. "You know how they are."
Talia smothered Sanosuke's face with kisses, wrapping her arms around his neck and then leaning closer to his ear. "I hope you win Sano." She whispered.
"Thanks." He said, pulling back enough to give her a chaste kiss. He reached up and threaded his fingers into her hair, holding her head in place.
Hikari watched the interaction of the young couple and smiled, before moving her gaze to her lover. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Looks like I get to play this time." She said, resting her chin on his breastbone and looking up at him.
"I would appreciate it if you sat out." Was Noriaki's only reply as his serious jade green depths bore through her.
"Only if you do." She countered.
"I can't. My father needs me to win. Besides, I'm used to these games." He smirked, cupping her cheek before he pulled away from her. "And I don't want my property getting damaged." Noriaki grinned, grabbing her breast in his free hand.
Hikari rolled her eyes as she batted away his hand. "Well if you can persuade someone on your team to sit out, then I will." She said. "Otherwise you'll just have to make sure I don't get damaged. You know how reckless I can be sometimes." She smirked, before turning and walking back towards her team.
The Uchiha glared after her and then let out an annoyed sigh. "Hideaki!" he yelled, still watching his woman.
"What?" the brunette yelled back.
"Sit out and Hikari won't have to play."
"Are you out of your damn mind?" he scoffed. "I've been dying to play the Uchiha Games."
Noriaki glared back at his friend and then looked at Kai. "Then you sit out Kai."
The grey eyed man scoffed. "Please. This is like an induction ceremony into the family, I'm not just going to pass it up."
"I'll sit out." Kanamé offered.
"Shut up Kanamé, don't make stupid suggestions like that." Noriaki growled and walked off. Izayoi laughed under her breath and shook her head at her brother.
Akito clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, enough chatter." He said. "Talia, you're spot as the referee is right there," he pointed off to the side of the field. "And my father will be pitching the ball for both teams." He tossed the red ball he had been holding to Sasuke. Then his deep green gaze moved to Natsumi, and he smirked. "Now, the ladies can pick where they want to be first, though it won't make much of a difference as to who wins in the end."
"Is that so?" Natsumi arched a delicate brow, resting her hands on her hips.
"It is so." He replied. "Kai and Hideaki would not dare fail me after I was gracious enough to allow them the opportunity to prove themselves to us." He turned and gave both boys a hard look. "Right?"
Kai nodded emphatically. After what the Hokage had discovered last night about him and Izayoi, he was going to do whatever it took to get back in his good graces. "Right." he said.
Hideaki simply shrugged. "I don't really care. I just know they're fun and hard. But I don't wanna lose."
Talia giggled, still clinging onto Sanosuke. "This is going to be so fun! I get to ref Sano!"
"And you'll be great at it." he said warmly.
"Can we just start already?" Ami asked impatiently, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm ready to kick some ass."
Talia kissed Sanosuke one more time before running off to her place. Izayoi glanced over at Kai, letting a small smirk grace her features as he walked over to her. She met his gaze with her own, setting her hands on her hips. "Come to wish me good luck?" she asked sweetly.
He smiled down at her. "Actually I was hoping you'd wish me good luck." He said, placing his hands over hers and leaning down to steal a quick kiss. "Cause' I know you'll do great baby."
Izayoi giggled, kissing him once more. "Good luck sweetie…I'm gonna demolish you." She whispered, touching her fingers to his cheek.
"Come on Iza!" Natsumi shouted, stomping her foot on the ground. The dark haired girl shook her head and smirked, pulling away from Kai and walking back to her mother and the girls. "Alright, here's the plan…" the pink haired woman explained as they huddled together.
Kanamé and Noriaki stood beside one another, their arms crossed in mirrored stances. "Mother is too confident about this." Kanamé frowned.
Noriaki nodded, "I sensed that too. I wonder what she's up too."
"Whatever it is I bet it's genius." Hayate said, stopping next to his elders. "Cause' mommy is very smart."
"It doesn't bode well, that's for sure." Sanosuke commented, glancing at Akito, who was talking to Kai and Hideaki about how they usually played their games. "Father is either ignoring it, or is sure that we can defeat whatever scheme she has come up with this time."
The brothers all nodded simultaneously and then they heard a whistle and looked over at Talia. "Alright! Everyone get to your positions! The girls are kicking first so boys get to your places in the field."
Everyone spread out, going to their designated spots. As the fastest, Sanosuke was put behind the pitcher's mound in order to be able to run after the ball and try to catch it. Hideaki was on first base with Kai on second, Akito on third, and Hayate on home, leaving Kanamé and Noriaki in the outfield. The girls lined up behind home plate, and Hikari walked up to kick first. Sasuke activated his sharingan and glanced around to make sure everyone was ready, before pulling his arm back and rolling the ball with much speed towards the pale haired woman. Knowing that her best bet was to keep it away from the Uchihas, she kicked the ball off towards the area between third and second base, only using enough force to get it rolling, so that they would have to run to the ball.
The second her foot touched the rubber, Hikari made a dash for first base. She was going to make it there and help win this game, therefore proving to Noriaki that she wasn't some delicate creature that didn't know how to play rough. Sanosuke and Akito both went for the ball, nearly colliding with one another before the elder snatched it up and threw it towards Hideaki. But by the time the brunette caught it, Hikari had already slid to a stop before him, her foot touching the base.
"Safe!" Talia called out, smiling in her love of being the ref.
Izayoi stepped up to the plate, pulling her long locks back and tying them up in a messy bun. She searched around the field, her crimson gaze studying everyone's moves. She smiled then, stepping back as she watched her grandfather. "Alright Grandfather, I'm ready whenever you are."
Sasuke smiled, shaking his head as he pitched the ball perfectly for his favorite grandchild. She moved her fingers, meeting Kai's gaze for only a moment before she ran forward and kicked the ball with expert precision. It sailed high and Kai watched it go up, then he heard Noriaki yell out, "Look out moron!"
Too late, Kai glanced down and was smacked right in the face with the real ball, causing him to fall backwards slightly before he steadied himself. The ball bounced on the ground and by the time he grabbed it and was back in his position, Hikari was already on second while Izayoi stopped at first.
She smirked triumphantly and blew him a kiss. "Sorry baby!" Izayoi winked as the girls cheered.
"Are not." He pouted, rubbing his stinging nose. "I didn't expect a genjutsu to be your first hat trick. Guess I'll just have to resist staring at your beautiful face." he smiled.
"Good luck with that sweetie." Izayoi smiled, practically beaming from her success.
Chitose walked up to the plate to take her turn then, and Hayate gave her a big smile. "Good luck Chichi!" he said sincerely. "I know you're gonna do great."
"Thanks!" she giggled, hugging him tightly. "I hope I don't mess up. You won't be too rough on me, will you Hayate?" Chitose asked, her sparkling sapphire eyes meeting his kind sharingan.
He gasped at the thought. "I would never hurt you Chichi!" he declared, returning her embrace. "When I get you out, it will be with a gentle touch."
The brunette smiled, kissing his cheek and faced Sasuke then, giving him a warm smile. "Alright Sasuke-sama! I'm ready!" she told him. The elder Uchiha rolled the ball straight towards her and instantly the young girl's face changed into one of seriousness. She stepped forward and aimed her kick, but just grazed the top making it roll almost two feet away from her.
Noriaki started laughing from the outfield and it was obvious Kanamé was doing his best not to as well. Then, she started crying, or at least it looked like she was crying because she covered her face with her hands and began to sniff. Hayate's eyes widened and he was beside Chitose in a second, wrapping his arms around her. "Chichi! It's okay! I thought you did great!" he tried to appease her, beginning to run his fingers through her hair.
Chitose sniffed, burying her face in his chest until she smirked and swept her leg beneath Hayate, pushing him to the ground before she took off. "Sorry Hayate!" she yelled back, looking worried until he flipped up.
"Get the ball you moron!" Noriaki shouted.
"Chichi, that was brilliant tactics!" Hayate shouted with a smile as he quickly grabbed the ball and threw it with all of his might towards Kai. But by the time the older man had caught it, Chitose was already on first base, with Izayoi on second and Hikari on third. "I'm so proud of you!"
Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "God he's an idiot." He muttered.
Natsumi smirked and looked at the field, trying not to let her confidence radiate too much. She glanced to her side and nodded to Ami for her to go. "You know what to do."
Ami nodded and smirked as well, activating her byakugan. Her face went blank as she walked up to the plate and stood there as if she didn't really care. Over on third base, Akito cursed as things began to fall into place. Now it made sense as to why Natsumi had been so sure that she would win. The damn woman had manipulated everything to her advantage. No matter, he would just have to come up with a way to foil her plan.
It was too late though, because by the time he had emerged from his thoughts, the ball was already rolling towards the auburn haired girl with speed. "Somebody put her in a genjutsu!" he yelled, though Ami's gaze was on the ground. With her kekkei genkai activated, she wouldn't need to look directly at anyone to see what they were doing, and she would notice if their chakra flared up, so if they tried to pull anything she could have a small warning.
As the ball got closer, Ami sent some chakra to her leg and foot and kicked it with all of her might, sending it flying through the air faster than any of the Uchiha's sharingan could catch it. When it disappeared from everyone's sight, she let her triumphant smirk reappear and slowly began to walk towards first base.
"Grand slam!" Talia called out to them. The girls began to cheer as the ones out on the bases ran for home. Once they were all rounded back up they began cheering in a large group. Natsumi blew her husband a kiss and waved at him from home plate. "That's four to zip baby!"
The Uchiha glared back at her. "You just wait until it's our turn to bat!" he said, before glaring out at his team just as Kanamé returned with the ball, since he'd had to run far. "If you don't get the next three players out you will be suspended from Uchiha games indefinitely!" he threatened.
Ami rolled her eyes at her uncle. Did he not realize that he had all but two of the Uchiha's on his team? Suddenly she felt arms around her and looked down to see the top of her sister's head. "Good job Mimi!" she cheered.
"Thanks." Ami smiled slightly, patting Ayame on the top of the head as she returned the embrace with one arm. After a few seconds she gently pushed her sibling off, uncomfortable with prolonged contact, especially in front of everyone.
Finally, the cheers died down and Natsumi stepped up to the plate only making Akito look angrier. She smirked, returning her gaze to Sasuke. "Alright Sasuke lets do this."
"Fuck that!" Noriaki yelled. "That's not fair mom! You can't go!"
"Noriaki watch the language!" the pink haired woman scolded, her gaze narrowing at her son.
"I agree with Nori." Sanosuke crossed his arms. "Let aunt Mina and Ayame go before you."
Hayate stepped up next to his mother. "Quit whining! You're all just upset because mommy outsmarted you!" he declared.
Akito gave his youngest a hard look. "Hayate, which side are you on?" he asked.
"The fun side!" the boy said, sticking his tongue out at his father.
"Aw…" Natsumi smiled evilly, "are my babies and hubby scared they're going to lose?" the taunt stopped any and all complaining. She readied herself as Sasuke rolled the ball as fast as he could towards his daughter-in-law. Natsumi stepped forward and hit the ball with perfect accuracy, sending it high and over the basses to the outfield. The second the ball was sent off she ran, already passing second as the ball began its descent. Noriaki laughed as he ran beneath the red ball and jumped to catch it. But just as it touched his fingertips, Natsumi moved her hand and a wisp of sand shoved it back, causing it to fall behind him.
The dark haired man cursed and grabbed it, hurtling it towards home. Natsumi had already made it to the plate by then, and tapped it with her foot before catching the ball herself. "Safe!" Talia giggled, watching the male Uchiha begin to boil. Even Kai and Hideaki looked really annoyed.
"Five to zero."
Minako walked up to the plate then, her byakugan already activated. Sasuke rolled the ball towards her, and she kicked it in Kai's direction, surprising him. Was this woman stupid or something? Just as he left the base to quickly grab the ball and tag her out, the elder Sabaku whirled past him in a quick flash. Kai snatched the ball up and hurled it towards Hideaki, who caught it just as the ebony haired woman stopped on the base. Everyone looked to Talia to see what her call was.
The blonde girl gave them a thumbs up and smiled at the girls, who cheered. Ayame walked up to the plate then, a smile on her face as she activated her byakugan. Sasuke rolled the ball towards her, and when she kicked it, it flew up into the air. Ever the optimist, the auburn haired girl ran towards fir base as her mother flash stepped to third. What neither was counting on, however, was for Hideaki to run and jump up, catching the ball. Before Minako could make it back to second the brunette placed his foot on the base, getting both Sabakus out.
"See that?" Akito asked his team, pointing to Hideaki as he tossed Sasuke the ball. "That's how it's done!" he told them, making Sanosuke roll his eyes.
"Thank you sir." Hideaki nodded to the Hokage, practically glowing with the praise he was getting. Both Kanamé and Noriaki grimaced, looking over at each other, their auras darkening. As glad as they were for their friend, the Uchiha boys weren't too happy about the praise they weren't getting. They locked gazes and nodded, their sharingan swirling into a much more complex design.
Izayoi stepped up to the plate once more and stretched out, getting ready and obviously searching for her next plan. She met Kai's gaze once more and giggled when he forced himself to avoid it. "I still love you sweet salt and pepper!"
"Love you too!" he called back, though continued to look away.
Sasuke pitched to Izayoi and she kicked it as far as she could. It went to the outfield, but before her brothers could catch it her sand hit it out of their grasp. She was already running towards first, and then passed Kai. Her smile grew until she felt something change in the air. She jumped back, barely avoiding the twisted void. Noriaki stared at the spot between first and second and waited before sending his Mangekyou towards his sister.
Izayoi stumbled back, losing her concentration as Kanamé caught the ball before it hit the ground. "Looks like that's three outs Iza." The eldest triplet smirked, high fiving his brother as they celebrated.
"Excellent work boys." Akito smirked, walking towards home. "Now we can take the lead."
The guys headed after him, the two smirking as they passed their sister. She glared at him, "Assholes."
Noriaki chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't hate the player Iza, hate the game."
She rolled her eyes and took second, since she was closest. Natsumi walked up to her husband, giving him a devious smile as she touched her finger to his jaw. "Remember what I get when I win baby." She purred, biting down on her lower lip.
Akito lightly gripped her chin and returned her smirk. "You mean when I win." He corrected, giving her a chaste kiss. "And I get to torture you." he slid his thumb along her jaw then.
"Oh God, can you two wait and get freaky after the game?" Ami grumbled, walking past them and taking Hayate's place at home base.
The pink haired woman giggled, kissing Akito tenderly. "I love you honey."
"I love you too baby." He said. "Now quit holding off your inevitable demise." He snickered, smacking her rear playfully as he shooed her towards the field.
She huffed. "Don't make me hurt you." Natsumi shook her head, though she couldn't help but smile as she took the spot Sanosuke had been.
Noriaki and Kanamé glanced over at their father. "So what's the plan dad?" they asked together.
"Here's what we're going to do." Akito said, gathering all of the boys towards him. "We have to get at least four points. If we tie the game, we get the chance to kick again." He looked at his eldest sons. "You two will be going first. Kanamé will kick, and while he does that, I want Noriaki to put Chitose in a genjutsu." He said, since the Inuzuka girl was now the first baseman.
Hayate looked to his brother, for once no humor on his face. "Not a bad one Nori." He warned, activating his Mangekyou.
Noriaki's was already swirling back to their dangerous form. "I'll do whatever I see fit to win this game Hayate. Don't be so fickle for a woman."
"Like you can talk." Hideaki scoffed.
The youngest Uchiha's gaze turned hard. "If you do something bad to her, I'll do something twice as bad to Hikari." He threatened.
"Stop this." Akito said, placing a hand on Noriaki's chest to keep him from attacking his younger sibling. "We are going to win this game, no matter the damages. Everyone knew coming into this that they could get hurt. So there will be no fighting over protecting your women. Are we clear?" he asked, looking around the group of boys.
"So Natsumi-sama is fair game?" the brunette smirked, crossing his arms as he arched a curious brow.
Akito chuckled. "I doubt you could do anything to hurt her." he said. "But the fact of the matter is, we are not trying to hurt them, only prevent them from winning. Now, back to business." He clapped his hands. "After Kanamé goes, Noriaki will kick. By then we should have two bases loaded. Next, Sano will go." He looked to his middle child. "As the fastest, he should be able to make it to third base, if not home plate, depending on how quickly Kanamé and Noriaki get there. And by the end of that, we'll have three points." He explained.
"And after that Hideaki and I can go, right?" Kai asked, eager to prove his worth.
Sanosuke snorted. "The goal here is to win." He said. "So my father and Hayate will probably go next."
"You know brat, we are in Anbu." Hideaki glared.
Sanosuke glanced at him. "But you're not Uchiha." He stated, as if that explained everything.
"Now Sano," Akito interjected. "We have to be fair. Once you've gone, Hideaki will go. Then Kai, and then myself. I will get a home run, bringing in everyone, and getting us another three points." He said confidently. "That puts us in the lead with six. And if not, Hayate will still make it to a base and get us some points."
They all nodded and Kanamé stepped up to the plate. "Let's do this grandfather." He said, nodding as he readied himself. Noriaki lifted his hand to his lips and whistled loudly, making Mai bark at Chitose's side. The brunette looked over and gave Noriaki a hard glare.
"Stop antagonizing Mai!" she yelled at him, shaking her head. Noriaki smirked, his mission already accomplished.
Kanamé kept his own victorious grin off his expression and kicked the ball straight. It flew between second and first, but the only thing that everyone registered was Chitose's ear shattering scream. Kanamé took off and touched first, as she grabbed her head and cried. Natsumi hissed and took off after the ball, grabbing it and throwing it towards her daughter.
Izayoi caught it only too late, since Kanamé was almost to third. She threw it to Hikari, but Kanamé slide to a stop and touched the base before the white haired woman could tag him out. "Safe!" Talia called.
"Excellent." Akito smiled. Thing were going even better than he had projected.
"What did you do to Chichi?" Hayate shouted angrily, marching up to his older brother, his sharingan spinning dangerously.
"Hayate, calm down." Ami said, not wanting her cousin to blow things out of proportion. Besides, she knew Noriaki would never purposefully hurt the girl, despite how badly he wanted to win. Her youngest cousin was just a bit overprotective when it came to his love. They all were, as a matter of fact. It must be an Uchiha thing.
"Stay out of this Mimi." He warned lowly, not even sparing her a glance.
Noriaki only grinned evilly, "Relax baby brother. Why don't you listen to her?" he gestured towards Chitose. Hayate's grimace twitched into a sneer, but he looked over at Chitose and finally listened to what she was yelling about.
"All my flowers! All my gorgeous flowers are snapped off!"
The middle twin laughed. "I just showed her coming into the flower shop and seeing all the flower heads cut off, leaving barren grass."
Hayate blinked, all hostility disappearing from his countenance in a second. "Oh." He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that then. Good luck." He said, patting Noriaki on the shoulder and walking off like nothing had happened.
Ami rolled her eyes. "You're all freaks." She said to her cousin.
Noriaki cracked his neck, stretching out his limbs as he walked to home plate. Izayoi's gaze narrowed as she watched her most vicious brother. By now, Chitose had shaken from her genjutsu thanks to Izayoi, and was giving the Uchiha triplet a murderous stare. Even Mai snarled, waiting for her chance to rip him apart for hurting her master.
Natsumi walked back and forth in her position, watching her son's movements and trying to decipher where he would try and hit and what he would try and accomplish. The dark haired man stepped back and readied himself. Sasuke rolled the ball towards his grandson and Noriaki ran forward, kicking the red ball with so much force it formed around his foot for a moment. It flew forward, not as fast or hard as Ami's had, but it was pretty darn fast.
It headed straight for Ayame, who was in the outfield with her mother. Noriaki's sharingan bled into a dark pattern and he focused on the ball, causing the rubber to ignite with black flames. Ayame, who was about to catch it, screamed, but Izayoi was already running at her and fixated her gaze on the ball. "Oh God please work!" her eyes widened and the bal disappeared for a moment before sailing out of nowhere behind Ayame and falling to the ground, the black flames no longer circling it.
By now Kanamé had already touched home base and Noriaki was passing third, smacking Hikari on the butt as he jumped on home. "HELL YES!" he shouted, the triplets high fiving one another.
"Well done my sons." Akito came up and clapped them both on the back, a proud smile on his face. "I knew I chose right in sending you both first."
They both looked at their father and smiled, for the first time showing their mother's side. "Thanks Dad."
Sanosuke walked up to the plate with a bored gaze. Sasuke smirked, knowing that his grandson would do him proud as he rolled the ball towards him. Just as the ball reached him, his sharingan changed and he glanced at Hikari, meeting her gaze for only a moment before sending the ball quickly in her direction. Then he sped off towards the bases, touching first before anyone knew that the pale haired woman was unable to get the ball.
Natsumi growled and went for the ball herself, and seeing that his mother now had it, the ebony haired boy stopped on second base. Best not to push his luck and try and go for third. Akito's victorious smile widened, especially when Hikari shrieked, still caught in the genjutsu.
"Oh my God! No way!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as tears began to form in her violet eyes.
Noriaki's blissful look vanished. He walked over to his love and touched his finger to her forehead, tilting her head back. He grabbed her face and stared into her eyes, dispelling the genjutsu she'd been placed in. "It's alright." He said, trying not to sound so angry.
Hikari blinked, before realizing that she was back in reality. She began to wipe at her eyes, embarrassed for having been so susceptible. "I'll be okay." She tried to reassure him, giving him a shaky smile. "It wasn't bad."
"What was it?" he ordered, his gaze narrowing. "How bad it was will determine how bad Sano will be punished for doing such a thing to you."
"It was noth-" she stopped mid-sentence at the look Noriaki was giving her and sighed. "You…proposed." She admitted, looking down. "I should have known it wasn't real, I mean, we talked about that and I know how you feel about marriage and I understand." She rambled, glancing up at him. "So it wasn't really bad…depending on how you look at it."
He grimaced, his threatening glare shifting to his brother. Hideaki and Kai held in their laugh, "Nori's pissed."
Kanamé shook his head and watched Noriaki march over to Sanosuke and strike him over the head. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled.
"What?" Sanosuke glared, rubbing the spot where he'd been hit. "I did what I saw fit in order to win the game, and I didn't hurt her. Wasn't it you who said not to be so fickle for a woman?" he raised a brow.
"I am not fickle. I am strong and that's why you better keep your eyes away from Hikari's gorgeous amethysts. Do you understand me? Do it again and I will rip Talia's pretty little eyes right out so it won't matter that she's not effected by genjutsu." He sneered.
The younger Uchiha's glare turned deadly. "If you so much as think about it I will fucking kill you." he seethed, butting foreheads with his brother.
Akito pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is why it's better when the teams are intermixed." He muttered. "Natsumi, deal with our sons before they get violent." He waved towards them, since she was closer, and were more likely to listen to her in this case.
"You couldn't kill me if you tried little brother. You may be fast, but I will burn you alive." Noriaki snapped back, butting his head back.
"Not if I cut off your hands." He countered. "What's the big deal anyways Nori?" he asked. "You're so afraid of commitment that an illusion ticks you off? It was either that or show her an image of you with another woman, except that one is believable."
Everyone froze at Sanosuke's words, and even the young Uchiha realized that he had crossed the line. Hikari ran over to her stunned boyfriend, gripping his arm and trying to pull him away from his younger sibling. "Noriaki, don't listen to him. It's okay." She said, really just wanting to prevent a fight.
Noriaki shoved her back, though it wasn't even enough to make her stumble. "At least I can tell Hikari that I love her. Unlike you, you soulless Sasuke wanna-be."
Natsumi's eyes widened and it seemed the tension grew even thicker. "Noriaki." She said sternly, though it was still quiet.
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to be one hundred percent positive!" Sanosuke yelled defensively. "And at least Talia knows that I would never cheat on her. Can you say that for certain about Hikari? Huh?" At the silence that followed his question, he smirked. "You're going to need to work on your fear of commitment if you want to keep her around. You saw her reaction to my genjutsu. When it comes down to it, she wants a ring on her finger, whether or not it's from you."
Akito frowned. "Sanosuke." he reprimanded.
"How much more sure could you be? She's your only friend and she does everything for you. Especially put up with the fact you think training is more important than spending time with her." Noriaki spat out. Talia's eyes widened slightly and she looked over at Sanosuke, hurt flashing across her face.
"What?" she almost whispered.
But Noriaki heard her, he glanced back slightly and derided. "He's not forced to train, he just tells you that he 'has' to because he considers it higher on the priority list."
"You bastard!" Sanosuke shouted, taking his brother's momentary distraction as an opportunity to punch him in the jaw, though it only made Noriaki laugh as he straightened. He looked at Talia and his eyes widened when he saw her running away from the field. "Talia, wait!" he called after her. Seeing that she wouldn't stop, he used his superior speed to get in front of her and stop her retreat. "You don't understand! It's not like that!" he said earnestly, holding her upper arms to keep her in place.
"You're lying!" she sobbed out, unable to stop the sound. "I knew you liked training better then hanging out with me! And when I asked you to go to my aunt's birthday and you wouldn't cause' Sasuke-sama said you 'needed' to sharpen your skills or else you would die. Now let me go!" she ordered, sniffing, trying to appear strong. "I want to go home! I don't wanna play anymore."
"No." he said, taking a deep breath. "I said that because I hate people and I didn't want to go." He admitted. "But the reason that I told you I had to train and stuff…well in the beginning it was because training was still really important to me…but now it's because…I'm scared." He admitted softly. "I've never cared for anybody as much as I do you, and it freaks me out. And I want to tell you that I…you know…but that's a big step, and I can't promise that I won't hurt you in the future, but I don't want to hurt you, because you're not supposed to hurt the one you…you know…so I decided to try to train as much as possible to try and figure everything out." He explained in a bit of a jumbled rush.
Talia pulled out of his grasp and shook her head. "You still can't even say it." She sighed, wiping her cheeks. "I've known you since I was seven years old Sanosuke. You're my best friend and I know that I love you. So I don't understand, so just leave me alone right now because I don't want to see you. Stop following me and just whatever, and don't creep on my house like you usually do." she said with finality. She turned away from him and walked off, covering her face with her hands so she didn't start to cry again.
"Well, well, well." Noriaki said from beside his brother as he wrapped an arm around Sanosuke's neck. "Looks like you're in the dog house and it appears I'm more trustworthy than your lying ass. Because you were wrong about one thing brother." He sneered the name. "Unlike you, I am honest with Hikari, and she knows without a doubt now that I would never lose her, nor betray her. Because she is mine." He said sharply, shoving his brother a bit before walking back to Hikari. "Come on, let go get some lunch, I'm tired of my family."
"So am I." Hikari said, watching Sanosuke sulk off. Glancing at Noriaki, she turned and began to walk away from him, obviously peeved.
Noriaki blinked and followed after her with a lost look on his face. "Baby? What's wrong?" He asked.
"Why does everything have to be a competition with you?" she asked, stopping and giving him a stern look. "So Sanosuke upset you, you didn't have to make it your goal to piss him off even more. And then you went and upset Talia and caused a rift in her and Sanosuke's relationship. On purpose." She hit him in the arm. "I like her, you know, and that was just low, even for you. And it hurts me that you're so angry about the idea of marriage being planted in my head. Because what Sano showed me was beautiful. So for now, I think I'm in the same boat as Talia." She declared, resuming her walk in the direction of her house.
He glared after her, his anger beginning to boil even more. "Fine! Go home, see if I care. And I didn't cause a rift, I just showed them it was there." Seeing that she wasn't bothering to listen to him, he practically exploded, a spark of fire igniting around him as he breathed out. "Whatever, fuck you all." He growled out and walked off, disappearing in a swirl of sand.
Izayoi sighed and shook her head. "Well this was a great idea." She grumbled sarcastically.
"Does this mean I win?" Natsumi wondered, looking up at her husband, who was now beside her.
Akito looked back down at her and frowned. "Unfortunately…"
"Well your team is the one who started everything." Sasuke pointed out, bouncing the ball. "So Natsumi wins by default. Besides, you only got two points in, and she has four." Then he turned and began to walk off. "I'm going home."
"I'm going to have tea with grandfather." Izayoi informed them, walking after the elder Uchiha. "You coming Kai?" she asked over her shoulder.
Kai smiled and ran to catch up with her. "Of course baby." He said, wrapping his arm around her waist as they followed the Uchiha patriarch.
Hayate ran over to Chitose and grabbed her hand. "Come on Chichi, let's go on a lunch date!"
"But what about Hikari? And Talia?" she questioned, being led off anyways.
Natsumi let out a tired breath and grabbed Akito's hand. "Come on, we've got a lot of paperwork to finish for the Chuunin and Anbu missions."
Akito nodded and laced his fingers with hers before they both disappeared in a swirl of sand. Hideaki and Ami stood there with Ayame and Minako. "I think I'm going to avoid the Uchiha house for a couple days." the brunette chuckled, looking over at Ami. "Nice kick by the way."
"Thanks." She gave him a small smirk. "You should see what I can do with my hands, it's even more impressive." Then her eyes widened when she realized her words could be taken in a different context. "You know…when I'm pounding people…I mean hitting them…" her face was turning red at this point, and she laughed embarrassedly. "I think I'm going to get some lunch." She waved in an attempt to dismiss everything she had just said.
Minako perked up. "We'll go with you!" she said, grabbing Ayame's hand as both Sabakus made a move to join her. "We can get Ichiraku!"
"Did I say lunch? I meant that I'm going to go to the hot springs. But you two have fun!" the auburn haired girl practically ran off the field to get away from them.
The ebony haired woman shook her head and sighed. "That child is so odd sometimes."
Ayame giggled. "I think she likes you." she winked at Hideaki. "Cause' I've never seen her act this way around someone before."
"Is that so?" Hideaki grinned, chuckling softly. "Well as it would have it I find her pretty alluring myself, though that mouth is a bit off sometimes with the rudeness." he smirked, making Ayame giggle and nod.
"Well I'm hungry so if you ladies would like some ramen I would love to buy you some." the brunette smiled, ruffling his hair a bit.
Both Sabakus nodded, matching smiles on their faces. "That is so kind Hideaki, we would love your company." Minako said.
"And I can tell you funny stuff about Mimi!" Ayame clapped gleefully, as the group made their way towards their destination.
Hideaki laughed. "Sounds great."