Chapter Seven

The feeling of sitting on this couch in Tenten's apartment made me completely nostalgic. While my dear cousin had kidnapped my child from me, I had a chance to relax for a moment and get off of my feet. I could feel my mind wandering, and naming different things that had happened in this apartment. Right here - right where my feet lay kicked out in front of me - was the spot where Neji began pounding on Naruto because he had found that condom in the room that I had been sleeping in. It was also the spot where I shoved all fear out of my mind and body and stood in between my cousin's fist and my - at the time - boyfriend's face.

This sofa was still the same; older, but the same. I don't remember how many times Naruto and I would just lay here together, not really having anything to say, but at the same time not really wanting to be apart.

Behind me at the island in the kitchen was where Usui received his name even before Naruto and I became intimate. I couldn't help but to smile in spite of myself.

The sofa next to me was where I had found Sasuke the morning after prom, where he had initially delivered to me the news regarding Sakura's pregnancy complications. My eyes were glued to that spot where we stood in one another's embrace, bawling our eyes out in unison. We were the same - Sasuke and me - and so we both felt completely comfortable around each other. Had anybody else been with us, I doubt we would have let everything go at that moment. Neither of us would have cried, even if it had just been Naruto there with us. There was something about Sasuke that attracted me to him, not in the same way as I am attracted to my husband, but in a way that reminded me of the brother I never had.

And then, in the room down at the very end of the hall, was the room that Naruto and I had sacrificed our bodies to one another, where we had made the beautiful and satisfying transition from boyfriend-girlfriend to lovers.

Goosebumps rose up on my flesh as these memories encircled my brain, swallowing it whole and leaving me blind to everything happening now. The only reason I noticed that Naruto was now sitting at my right side was because our bodies touched, and I could feel the sparks fly between us. My head almost snapped in his direction, and he was ready and waiting with a kiss. Although, to both of our dismay, it didn't happen Hollywood big-screen perfect. Rather, our noses crashed into each others, and I could feel my cartilage jab upward almost painfully. Despite that, we couldn't help but let the laughter roll off of our tongues, and we were doubled over on the couch, me falling over onto my side and he sprawled over my thighs.

In that moment, we were no longer twenty five. We were no longer married with children. At that very moment, Naruto and I were eighteen again. Teenagers living without a care in the world. It was as if we were taken back those seven years ago, and we were still dating and had nothing to worry about. All we had to do was be with the other, and our hearts were content.

"Now there's a sight I haven't seen in awhile," Tenten laughed and sat on the other sofa, crossing one leg over the other and leaning on the arm. She watched us with warm chocolate eyes, and I could tell that she was remembering that short period of time when I had lived in this apartment. "It feels like only yesterday that I walk in the door and find you two wrapped around each other and laughing over nothing."

Because there was another person in the room - the person whose apartment we were occupying - Naruto and I sat up, not wanting to burden her with our falling aback in age. I did miss it, though, being eighteen. I went through some hard times back then, but Naruto was always with me, and Sakura too. Sometimes, I have to wonder: would I do it all again? Go through high school alone, officially meet Naruto in my junior year, become friends with Sakura, relive the devastating tragedy of my parents' final farewell, experience my first kiss, fall in love over and over, deal with the emotional agony of Sakura's complications... I think about this question so much, but I have yet to come to a conclusion.

"I miss those days, sometimes," Naruto said, his hand sliding up my thigh and finding my hand, where his fingers instinctively laced with mine. "Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, y'know? But sometimes," instead of finishing his sentence, Naruto blew a puff of air out of his mouth and rested his head on the back of the navy couch.

"You know, if you need a break, you can always bring the children here and we'll watch them," Neji said, gently bouncing the sleeping Megumi in his arms. His hair fell over his shoulders and brushed along my daughter's forehead, but that didn't seem to bother her. She was probably used to it already from mine doing the exact same thing. Neji brought himself over to join the party and sat himself down next to his girlfriend, who cooed at the baby. "I mean, we don't have kids, so it's not like you're really weighing us down."

"Are you thinking about starting a family yet?" I asked gently, nonchalantly, wiggling my body closer to Naruto's and cuddling under his arm. In all honesty, I was actually surprised that they hadn't made public any talk of engagement or children. They had been together all through middle school, and would have been highschool sweethearts, had Neji's parents not gotten into an accident. It baffled me that they were still an unwed couple.

Neji and Tenten exchanged a glance, and I couldn't tell what exactly they were communicating silently through their expression.

"If we're having this conversation as mature adults here," Tenten began, turning her attention back to us, "then I must say: the sex is amazing right now, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to give it up."

Oh no. The talk of sex between us as couples was not something that was comfortable for Neji. He was very private, and didn't really like to talk about what happens inside the bedroom.

Naruto, on the other hand, laughed. "Right?" he said, squeezing my hand, and I knew he was going to say something about our sex life, and so my body reacted first and pushed all of the blood in my body to my face. "But having kids doesn't completely ruin sex, obviously."

"Right, but it would be a lot different when you can't roll over in the morning or at night or whenever and just-"

"Hinata, do you want something to drink?" Neji stood up, interrupting the conversation on the frequency of sexual affairs between himself and Tenten. Saved by the bell. I jumped to my feet, allowing Naruto's hand to slip from mine, and I nodded.

"Yes, please," I said, relief evident in my sigh, and I followed my cousin into the kitchen. Once there, the conversation of sex - which clearly was still happening - was not as easy to hear. Neji handed over Megumi, our arms overlapping so that she would not be completely disrupted from her dreams.

"Have you two picked out godparents for Megumi yet?" he asked, turning towards the refrigerator and peering inside, as if he had no idea what inhabited the space within.

"Yeah," I murmured, smiling and gazing down upon my tiny little daughter. "We stopped by Mikoto's before coming here," I told him as he turned around with a pitcher of herbal iced tea, which he placed in the center of the island. "Naruto and I ended up agreeing that Yahiko and Konan would be good candidates."

"Now what's the situation with them?" Neji asked as he turned away towards the cabinet, where he whipped open the wooden doors and retrieved two identical glasses with yellow flowers spiralling up the circumference. "Are they engaged yet, or are they still, you know, following Tenten's logic?"

I let out an honest laugh. "They're still boyfriend and girlfriend. I don't know how sexually active they are; Konan is classy and Yahiko isn't one to kiss and tell."

Sitting down at one of the bar stools around the corner from where I sat, Neji held the pitcher with a single hand and poured tea into both cups, allowing not a single drop to plummet to the table. I watched in a trance as the glasses were filled, leaving an inch between the meniscus and the brim. The first glass, he pushed over in my direction, and I reached out my left hand and wrapped my fingers around it. I had become quite skilled at being left handed, because I always held my children in my right arm. It was my strong arm, and so I wouldn't settle for anything less.

"Those two have been together forever," he commented, filling up his own glass in the exact same manner. "I'm surprised that they're not married yet."

"We all are. But I guess it's whatever makes them happy is what counts, right?"

Neji smiled and gazed down into his drink, watching his reflection bounce off of the lights above us. "I guess so. What did they say when you asked them to be godparents?"

"Those two jumped for joy. First they hugged each other, then they exchanged hugs with both Naruto and me. If that wasn't enough of an acceptance, they nodded quickly as if they were on a sugar rush and said 'yes, yes, a thousand times yes!'"

"I think they're a good pick." Neji brought his glass to his lips and took a single sip. I think he may have been thirstier than he thought, because after that first taste, he downed about half of what was in his cup. Half empty. Almost mechanically, he refilled what had been taken all too soon. "You know, I'm really happy that you're doing okay," Neji confessed, catching me a little off guard. "I was a little worried about you and Naruto getting married right out of high school."

I forced a joking grin onto my face, despite the fact that I knew my cousin would see right through whatever mask I put forth. "Why would you be worried?"

"Because the majority of high school relationships don't last too long after graduation."

"I know that," I murmured, and I could feel the blood boiling under my skin. I was well aware of this fact, so why was I getting so angry? Just the thought of losing Naruto filled me with all of these negative emotions that I just couldn't control. What would I do if another woman came along and snatched Naruto from me? No, I can't even think about that. "But Naruto and I are different," I spoke softly. "We fall in love over and over again, every time our eyes meet."

Neji smiled and turned his eyes back down into his drink. "I'm glad to hear that, Hinata."

OoO

"Hi!" I met the tender and loving embrace of Sakura, who squeezed me tightly, both of us twisting in awkward positions to keep from squishing our newborns. Her pink tresses smothered my nostrils and I couldn't stop myself from inhaling. She smelled like strawberries. After freeing me from her grasp, she turned to Naruto and pulled him close too, in an amorous and strictly platonic embrace. "Hinata, you look really great for having given birth four days ago," she complimented me with a smile, and I couldn't help but notice the tired bags under her eyes. I probably didn't look any different.

"Thanks," I said with a warm smile, turning my eyes to my stomach, which was flattening out rather swiftly. I couldn't complain. "The baby flab doesn't stick around too much with me."

"Lucky," Sakura muttered before closing the door behind us, welcoming us into the beautiful home that she shared with Sasuke. Naruto kicked off his shoes, then carefully slipped mine off of my foot, one at a time. "Like always, make yourselves at home. Naruto, wait on your wife head to toe."

Footsteps came from the hall, and I glanced over to see Itachi Uchiha entering the main room, Senri strung on his back. A wide-eyed grin spread up across his cheeks, and I could see his eyes glisten as he stepped into a ray of natural sunlight.

"Hinata," he spoke my name warmly and moved his feet in my direction. Before taking me into his arms, he lowered himself to allow Senri to jump off onto the carpet. I handed Megumi to Naruto, who took her almost unwillingly, and I turned to face Itachi, who took me into his tight embrace. Tightly, I constricted my arms around him as if I hadn't seen him in years, a grin setting into my lips. Itachi and I had gotten really close over the years, and he was a dear friend of mine that I think Naruto got jealous of. It was as if he thought Itachi was going to win my heart. Of course, he did, but not in the way that Naruto did. Romantically, my husband is the only man I would ever love.

"Hi, Itachi," I grunted as the squeeze became too tight, and my eyes opened wide whenever I felt a warm, wet sensation dripping down my torso. He could feel it too, I knew, because simultaneously, we both backed away from one another, and I stood in horror, staring at his shirt. My face burned bright red with embarrassment as I realized what had happened: my breasts leaked.

He had to be disgusted, I knew he had to be. I was, despite the fact that I knew it was a natural bodily function for me right now.

"I am so sorry, I..." I didn't know what to say. The degradation I felt falling down upon me was almost too heavy, and a part of me wanted to cry.

"What do you look so horrified for?" he asked, maintaining that warm smile on his face. "Do you know how many times I've been lactated on?" It sounded like a silly question, and I forced myself to laugh, but then I realized that the rhetorical question had been in all seriousness.

"It's true," Sakura vouched for her brother-in-law. She turned her eyes down to her three-month-old son and snickered. "Takumi takes so long to feed that my arms generally get tired. So I have Itachi hold him for me." Turning to seven-year-old Senri, who looked overly excited, Sakura bent over and flashed her teeth. "Want to do Mommy a favor?"

"Yes! Yes!" Senri jumped up and down excitedly, too rambunctious from being cooped up in the house for the past few days.

"Sit on the couch," she directed, and without another bat of the eye, Senri was pulling himself up onto the chocolate leather sofa at my left side. He knew what having to sit down meant; he was going to get to hold his baby brother. "Protect Takumi," Sakura told him in a soft yet stern voice. With strong muscles, she lowered herself to a squat and carefully forfeited her youngest son to Senri. It was almost amazing at how quickly he calmed down when Takumi was placed into his arms. There was a look of pure admiration for the small and vulnerable life within his lap. She turned to me and nodded. "Let's get you a clean shirt."

"Okay," I nodded, moving towards the hallway.

"Mind if I throw this in the washing machine?" Itachi asked, and instinctively, I turned around along with Sakura and almost drooled all over the flawless ocean blue carpet. Itachi had ripped his shirt off and had balled it up in his hands already, looking to Sakura for the answer to his question. He was well-sculpted, I must admit, with three abdominal muscles poking over his stomach on either side. It was almost funny, because with his shirt on, he didn't look that muscular.

From behind, I could see Naruto roll his eyes and turn his attention back down to our daughter, who started to get fussy.

"Go ahead," Sakura waved her hand over her head. "You're here practically every day, so you can just pick it up tomorrow."

"Hell, want me to just do the laundry?" he asked, and I was almost impressed at how helpful he was being around the youngest Uchiha's house while he was at work.

"That would be fantastic."

When Megumi began crying, I turned around instantly, wanting to do anything that would make her happy.

"She hasn't eaten in awhile," Naruto said and handed her off to me like a relay baton - an extremely fragile relay baton. "I think she's hungry."

I groaned and hung my head. "You couldn't have decided this two minutes sooner?" I questioned my daughter, who wept in my arms' cradle.

"You can do that in my room, if you want," Sakura said, leading me down the hall to the opened door straight ahead. Light shone through the windows that stretched wide across the walls, and when I stepped through the door after Sakura, she closed it to give the room some privacy. Without a word, she took Megumi from me so that I could take off the saturated shirt. With a single hand, I reached around behind me and unclasped my bra, allowing it to fall loose in my hand. Balling up the wet clothes, I exchanged them with Sakura for my baby, who blindedly latched her mouth onto my breast.

"Do you have a plastic bag I can put those in?" I asked my pinkette best friend before sitting down on top of the pin-straight crimson comforter that layered Sakura and Sasuke's bed.

Sakura snickered. "Sweetie, Itachi's doing the wash for me. I'll just throw it in the hamper and place it outside in the hall. He'll come get it."

I laughed out loud as she began going through her closet, sorting through a shirt to let me borrow. "It must be nice to have him around the house."

"Oh my gosh, it is," she breathed a sigh of relief. "Whenever Sasuke isn't here, I get so overwhelmed. Itachi helps out a lot to keep me calm. Plus, it's nice having him here. And I think it's good that the boys develop a good relationship with their uncle."

"That's true," I said, feeling a contraction in my uterus. It wasn't too painful; just uncomfortable enough to cause me to squirm in my seat. "I kind of wish that my children had an aunt or an uncle to bond with. I mean, I know that they call you and Sasuke "aunt" and "uncle," and they do the same for Neji. But I mean...I don't know."

"I know what you're saying," Sakura spoke, tearing a sky blue V-neck T-shirt out of her closet. "It's different for you guys, because your kids don't have blood-related aunts and uncles, and only have one set of grandparents."

"Don't get me wrong, I love Minato and Kushina. They come over and help Naruto out all the time while I'm at work, and Neji and Tenten are willing to do the same. It's just that I wish my parents were still around to see the beautiful children that Naruto and I made."

I wish Hanabi had made it...

Sakura chuckled. "Looks like we're going to have to spoil your kids more, to help make up for what they don't have."

I shook my head. "You spoil them enough, Sakura."

"Yes, but Megumi is free-game. I don't have a daughter, so I'll buy her the latest fashion trends, and she'll have so many shoes." Sakura sat down beside me and gazed down upon my daughter, looking at her with so much love. That was when I realized: blood-relation didn't matter. Sakura and Sasuke loved my children to the ends of the earth, loved them as if they were their own children. "She's going to be really pretty, you know that?" she murmured, quiet, as so not to disturb the hungry baby. "She'll be the most beautiful girl around, inside and out. Just like her mother."