Things to remember:
A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.
B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Digimon, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.
C) This is a work of FICTION. So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.
D) Roughly 38 chapters
More relevant info to this chapter: This story lives! And next chapter things are going to start focusing on the Uchiha family a LOT more. Thank god! Please enjoy.
Sincerely wishing you all well,
Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius
Matt Yamanaka hated airports. It wasn't the bustling people, or even the expensive food. It was the waiting he did at them.
Which is what he was currently doing.
The flight that contained his little one year old daughter and mother had been delayed earlier in the day. Now, after waiting out the extra hour impatiently, the airport was taking its sweet time releasing his precious child.
"Look Matt. Here they come." His sister Uotani pointed out from where they stood by the windows. Matt quickly turned. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he gazed at his little girl. Mara was in his mother's arms, a pout on her face. Saiyuri spotted them and waved happily. Mara glanced up and beamed.
"Dada!" She cried out happily, reaching for the blond. Matt grinned and rushed at his daughter. He pulled her out of his mother's arms and hugged her tightly. She giggled and squeezed back with as much strength as she could give.
"Daddy's missed you." He cooed to her as Uotani and Saiyuri embraced behind them.
"Miss!" Mara agreed, nodding her head. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Matt turned towards his mother and sister, his grin softening.
"Ready to go home?" He asked them. Both nodded.
"Look at her, Tk, isn't she just the cutest little niece!" Ino cooed softly over a sleeping Mara. Tk frowned beside her.
"Uh, sis, she's the only niece we have." He said, confused. Ino huffed impatiently and waved him off. Behind them their older siblings and mother chuckled.
"I'm so glad to have her home." Matt murmured happily to Saiyuri and Uotani. Saiyuri nodded, brushing back her long blond hair.
"I felt the same way evertime I was reunited with one of you." She said warmly. Uotani grinned and hugged her mother.
"Thanks Mommy! We love you too." She teased. Saiyuri chuckled, wrapping an arm
around Uotani.
Being around her children again made her feel so good.
"Matt?" Saiyuri cautiously broke the comfortable silence between herself and her son.
"Hm?" Matt asked, looking up from the morning paper. They were the only two up so far.
"Have you spoken with Sora yet?" She asked. The paper dropped from Matt's hands.
"What's it matter?" Matt snapped, blue eyes furious. Saiyuri frowned.
"There is no need to snap, Matt. I was simply asking for Mara's sake. She asks for her mother, you know." Saiyuri added. Matt's eyes widened and he dropped bonelessly to the couch.
"…I wish I didn't have to contact her. She doesn't even really care about Mara…our mistake baby." He grumbled, avoiding his mother's sympathetic gaze. Saiyuri sighed and gently placed herself next to Matt.
"Yamato." Saiyuri said, using his full name to get his attention. Matt looked up, his blue eyes in agony. "Sora loves Mara. She just has a hard time excepting that." She insisted. Matt nodded.
"I know that, Mom. I really do. Someday it'll hurt Mara though. I just want to protect my little girl." He insisted. Saiyuri nodded.
"I understand, honey. But remember, Matt. You can't protect her from everything."
"Mama?" Matt froze, turning away from the shelf of food he had been looking at to find Sora Inuzuka standing at the end of the aisle, her brown eyes wide. Hikari, her sister-in-law, grinned and ran over.
"Mara! Hi my sweet little niece." She cooed. Mara giggled, reaching for Hikari. The brunette gripped Mara's little hands in her own, chattering on happily to the little girl. Sora approached them, eyeing Matt wearily.
"Hello." She greeted him. He nodded, putting the food in his hands into the cart.
"Hey. I was going to call you when I got home. It's your weekend this weekend." He informed her. Sora nodded, glancing over at Mara.
"I know. Can I hold her?" She asked. Matt glared.
"She's your daughter, Sora. You don't have to ask." He grunted. Sora nodded awkwardly.
"Okay." She said. Taking a deep breath, she turned towards Mara and picked her up. Her young daughter beamed.
"My Mama!" She exclaimed, cuddling close to Sora. Her mother smiled softly, gently cradling her daughter close.
"Hello, little one."
"You know what Matt, as hard as it may be for you to understand my reasons for being so hesitant to accept my little girl, I do have them!" Sora exclaimed, tears streaming down her face. Matt glared.
"Bullshit!" He declared. Sora glared back.
The weekend was upon them. As Matt had went to leave Mara with Sora and Tai, he had asked her one more time why she wouldn't be a more active member of Mara's life. Now the confrontation that they had been putting off for almost a year was taking place.
"Accepting her would mean that I have to accept our time together when I thought Tai dead! I can't do that to him, Matt." She said softly. Matt's expression softened.
"Sora…" He whispered. Sora shook her ehad.
"I love him so much! Look at him in there, Matt. Look at him accept the child I try to push away. Look at him do what I can't because one of us has to." She said softly, burying her face in her hands. Matt sighed, leaning against the counter.
"Tai understands what happened between us, Sora. He's forgiven us. We thought him dead and reconciled with each other. It happens." Matt said soothingly. Sora shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"It shouldn't have, Matt! I should have known that he was still alive! I shouldn't have given up!" She sobbed, burying her face in her hands.
"What happened happened Sor." Both looked up to find Tai standing in the doorway. "I keep telling you to quit beating yourself up over it." He insisted, walking over to his wife. Sora let out a choked sob and threw herself into his waiting arms. "Calm down, sweetie. I just made Hikari and Kiba take her outside." Tai said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Sora shook her head, burying herself into his embrace.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to become so upset." She whispered. Tai shook his head, squeezing her gently.
"I know. It's not your fault. It's been a…confusing set of months for all of us." He said, wiping away her tears. Matt nodded, looking down at his feet.
"I shouldn't be pushing you so hard anyway. Now that I know why you feel what you feel, I'll back off and let you and Tai handle it." He promised.
"Do you really mean it?" Sora asked, looking over at the blond. He nodded.
"Yeah. I'm going to kiss her good-bye and head out. Mom is going to leave tomorrow morning." Matt explained. His two friends nodded.
"Okay. Tell my brother and sister that we'll join them in a minute, okay?" Tai asked. Matt nodded.
As he walked outside and saw Mara toddling between Kiba and Hikari, he smiled softly. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
His little girl had a shot at a relationship with her mother.
"Is everything calm now?" Yoshino Nara question her youngest child. Shikamaru grunted his reply.
"Mostly. Sora's finally accepting Mara at least. I'm worried about Kure and Uo, though, Mom. It seems like nothing can fix them." He admitted. Yoshino frowned, leaning against hwer counter-top.
"And you and Ino?" She teased, changing the subject a bit. A grin bloomed on her face as Shikamaru instantly began to grumbled awkwardly in denial. The phone call was cut short because of her not-so-innocent question.
"What is that evil smirk about?" She whirled around to see her exaughtsted husband leaning against the doorway. She forced her most innocent expression onto her face.
"I have no idea what you are talking about?" She offered. Shikaku shook his head with a tolerant sigh.
"Quit harassing our baby boy. His older siblings are having enough trouble with the Yamanaka children." He grunted, moving towards the coffee pot. Yoshino nodded, looking at the picture posted on her fridge. It had been taken last summer…when times had been happier.
"I feel so bad for Kureno. I mean, it is his fault that Uotani is pissed at him, but she could be more sympathetic-"
"Yoshi, we're not going over this again." Shikaku cut her off softly. Yoshino bit her lip and lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. His warm arm slipped around her shoulders.
"No, I should be sorry. I can't lash out of you because of our dumbass son is living up to his title of dumbass." He grumbled, pressing lips against her forehead. Yoshino nodded, turning to look up at him.
"I just want them happy, 'Kaku." She said softly. He nodded, sighing once more.
"Me too, Yoshi. Me too."
A/N: Should update soon, all of yall. I'm really looking forward to typing next chapter~
- Kida-Asumi
