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Chapter Seven

The Curse


Sasuke looked up from the document he was reading when he heard the front door open. "Sasuke," Sakura called from the foyer of their house, "I'm home!" A moment later she appeared in the doorway. She leaned on the door frame of their dining room. Her short pink hair was smooth and straight, despite her return journey from the Sand. A content smile spread across her face. She looked radiant.

"How was your trip?" he asked, standing up from the floor to greet her.

"It was wonderful." she sighed dreamily. Sasuke waited for an elaboration, but all Sakura did was stare at him, her eyes having a mysterious gleeful look.

"What is it?" he asked, curious with her behavior. The last time she acted like this was when Ino began dating Sai. She was giddy for weeks and squealing over every little thing Ino told her.

Her smile grew bigger. "I'm pregnant!" she said cheerfully. Her voice rose in excitement as she explained how she found out, "I was feeling sick while I was in the Sand Village. I had Tadeki run an exam on me and that kid, he just knew. He gave me an ultra sound immediately and we found out that I'm nine weeks in already!"

Sasuke completely froze. His eyebrows arching high on his forehead stunned by the news. They hadn't really been trying but at the same time, they didn't take precautions either.

The idea of his own child caused a myriad of emotions to run through him. Sakura's pregnancy made him so happy. But along with it, he felt an incredible amount of uncertainty and sadness. His feelings put him in a state of shock. As if in a trance, he turned away from Sakura and walked to the back porch.

Sakura smiled knowingly at the man she loved as she watched him sit and hang his feet over the edge of the porch. She followed him eagerly and sat next to him, looping her arm through his in a comforting gesture.

"Sasuke," she asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

The question snapped Sasuke out of his head. He looked at Sakura's green eyes with his uncovered black one. " Nothing, I just " he started, "it's just, I can't believe it." He let a smirk cross his face, "I never thought I could be this happy."

Sakura laughed slightly, "But that's the best kind of happiness," she answered, "Everything you ever wanted is better than you could have ever imagined."

He kissed her softly, inhaling as he moved his lips against her's. "Thank you." he whispered against her mouth. His uncovered eye holding her gaze, expressing everything he couldn't say. He then turned to lie on his back, resting his head in her lap with his ear against her stomach.

"What do you think it'll be?" she asked running her hands through his black, spiky hair.

"A boy." he answered without hesitating. Sakura giggled at his immediate response.

"What if it's a girl?" she asked.

"It won't be." he answered confidently.

"Alright then," she said, "Do you like Naruto as a name?" Sasuke frowned as he looked up at her with an incredulous look. Sakura smiled at his reaction.

"And have to listen to the real Naruto talk about it for the rest of our lives?" Sasuke sarcastically responded, "I would rather not go through that torture."

Sakura sighed wistfully as she brushed back a particular stubborn strand of Sasuke's ebony hair.

"We're going to be a family!" she said happily. Sasuke turned his face to place an affectionate kiss on her belly.

"A family." he said, wrapping his head around the foreign concept, "I really like that." He pressed his ear against her stomach, as if the baby was going to talk to him at any moment, "

The soon to be parents rested in the comfortable silence. Sakura gently running her hand through Sasuke's hair. Sasuke, listening intently, as if he could hear the baby calling out to him.

"I hope he has your eyes." Sasuke said, "I love your eyes."

"If she has my eyes," Sakura said, enunciating the 'she,' "then, she has to have your face and your hair."

Sasuke sighed as he turned completely on his side and wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist. He buried his head into her stomach. "It doesn't matter," he said, "this baby is ours and that's enough for me."

She smiled, placing her hands on Sasuke's shoulder. "You're right. This is our baby." she said, awe stricken by the reality of it.

"And we will never give you the name Naruto." Sasuke said into her stomach. He paused and looked at Sakura thoughtfully, "On second thought, I'll consider the name if it's a girl."

"You're awful!" Sakura exclaimed, "Besides, you know that wouldn't matter to Naruto. He would still parade it over our heads!" An image of Naruto holding a pink-haired baby girl and bragging about the name choice, floated through Sasuke's mind. He buried his head into Sakura's stomach once again to stifle his laughter.


Hinata tugged at the scarf that she had wrapped around her next. The bottom part of her legs where her skirt ended was covered in goosebumps. It had been an unusually cold day for autumn. The incredible amount of sunshine deceiving everyone and making them believe it was mild weather. The crisp and sharp cold wind was relentless against the window of her office.

She sighed, setting the latest reports from the Hokage's office to the side. There was no more information regarding the intruder Naruto had informed her about one week earlier. She was worried that only meant Naruto was sitting in his Hokage office, insecure about the safety of the village.

"Lady Hinata." Takuma called from the open doorway in her office, interrupting her thoughts.

"Takuma-san." she said, her soft voice carrying over the room, "Please come in."

Takuma entered the office, observing the decorative lavender tapestries that gave life to the plain beige walls. The elaborate lilies on the ornamental rugs, calming the room. He stood directly in front of her, arms by his side, as if he was prepared for a battle.

Hinata gently smiled at him. Her demeanor and politeness making the room more comfortable for the both of them. "What is it?"

"I think the Birds and Masami should join together." he said, "Together, we will have enough members to actually challenge Lady Nishi. We could even influence the neutral members."

Hinata remained silent at his request. Her soft smile turning into tight thin line of her lip. His offer seemed logical, practical even. Her party only had ten members. The only influence she had was her veto power. Politics, however, was natural to Takuma. He was very persuasive and passionate. He had a dominance within the main house that Hinata secretly envied.

"We want the same things," Takuma continued, undeterred by her silence, "We both want the curse to go away. We both want the branch members to be free. To exist inside the clan without any limitations."

"It's our time Hinata." The informal use of her name indicating his complete resolve. "The Hyuga clan needs to abandon their ways. The traditionalist are only causing the clan turmoil. Together we can defeat them."

Hinata realized, Takuma was not wrong. He could easily bring more influence to the neutral members, better than she ever could. Their parties combined would be unstoppable. Hinata let the idea roll around in her head. She replayed the vision she had in her mind for the clan. She wanted the branch members to be free. She wanted the Hyuga to be united.

"Takuma-san," she started, her easy and gentle smile returning to her face, "I am sorry, but I cannot accept your offer."

Takuma's pearl white eyes widen with bewilderment. He stared at Hinata, completely confused by her answer. Everything he said was true. Why would she pass this opportunity?

"But why?" Takuma questioned angrily, "Look what they've done to this clan! Look at what they've done to us!"

Hinata felt the emotional impact from Takuma's reference to their mutual pain. The pain they both shared from being separated from their precious ones because of main house politics. Her gentle eyes softened into pity.

"We do not want the same things." Hinata said, her lavender eyes meeting his, unwavering and fierce.

"Of course we do!" Takuma shouted, "Is it not to abolish this wretched curse? I thought it was to finally knock these traditionalist—-"

"And we wouldn't be any better than them!" Hinata interrupted him, surprising herself at the sudden outburst. She quickly replaced her surprise with resolve.

"What good would change do to the clan," she said, "If we forced our members to accept it? Just because we think it's the right path. Look at where that has brought us! The clan is divided and hatred lives within our walls!"

"That approach will only turn them against you." he said, his anger rising at his leader's completely naive ideals, "You can't appeal to them or have you already forgotten what they've taken from you?"

Hinata remained calm at the mention of Naruto. She missed him terribly. He was her strength. He was her light. And the clan was standing between them. However her dreams are filled with hope that one day she would be reunited with Naruto. Takuma had nightmares of despair, with a certainty that Masami was gone.

"Nothing will work, until the clan can come together." she answered, a heavy silence settling between them. The tension between the two Hyuga stifled the room like the humidity before a storm.

The only thing to break the silence between the two Hyuga members was her door bursting open, "Lady Hinata!" Ko said urgently, "It's Hanabi!"

Hinata became alarmed by the distress in Ko's voice. She looked back at Takuma apologetically before stepping around him towards the door.

"You will regret this" Takuma called, his voice ominous and endearing, stopping Hinata from leaving the room. She turned to say something, but became distracted by the look of urgency in Ko's eyes. Instead she walked out her door, leaving Takuma in silence.


Katashi Hyuga was attempting to take a four year old branch member to be branded with the curse mark. If the child hadn't been screaming and if his mother hadn't been wailing, Hanabi would have probably ignored the situation. She attributed her rash behavior to the always insistent Konohamaru.

And now, she found herself standing between Katashi Hyuga, a legendary Hyuga fighter, and a sobbing four year old boy and his mother. Hanabi stared at the rough looking Hyuga, the scar that ran along his cheek, intimidating her.

"You're not taking him." she said with as much sternness as she could muster.

"Step aside little one." he said, "You have no say in these matters." He then tried to move her, however Hanabi ignited her gentle fist, slapping his hand away from her.

"This child is hysterical!" she said, positioning herself in the gentle fist stance, "I will not let you take him like this."

By this time, there had been a gathering of branch members. Each one nervously watching the two main house members preparing themselves for a fight.

"Stop!" Hinata interrupted the scene before her. The branch house members looked at their leader with a startled expression. Hanabi turned wide eyes towards her sister, partly relieved for her arrival.

"Lady Hinata?" Katashi Hyuga questioned, "What are you doing here?"

Hinata inserted herself between Katashi and her sister. She met Katashi's eyes with defiance and authority. He glared back at her with mockery.

"Do not make another move" she said, "We are still discussing the fate of the curse mark."

"It is this child's time to become a branch member." Katashi said, "You have nothing that can stop this."

"Then we can discuss it," she said, "in the meeting we are going to have right now."

Katashi backed away from the branch house members. He looked at Hinata with disdain. "You will regret doing this." he said before turning and walking towards the main house conference room.

Hinata remained determined as she watched Katashi's back. She then turned around to the branch family behind. The mother, no longer restrained, but fiercely holding her little boy behind her.

She displayed her most gentle smile towards them, "Don't worry." she said, "I promise, I will protect you."

It seemed, she was going to regret most of her decisions she made today.


A/N: Okay so I actually had that sasusaku scene written before chapter three. And initially her pregnancy was going to serve as a time measure, but now I've got some important sub plots I want to address surrounding family and children. So I'm really excited.

I'm actually glad I waited until the end to continue writing. The ending in general gave me some inspiration. I'm still going to leave the eye patch on Sasuke because well I personally wanted an eye patch. Since I could not predict the severed arms, that will not be addressed in the story either.

What do you guys think about Takuma and Hinata's discussion? Shit is about to get real. Thank you for reading.

Much love,

US