10

xxxxx

If one had ever asked Neji if he had imagined himself as a father, he would have shrugged and said 'No' quite plainly. He had dedicated his life to ANBU, being a father was impossible. No woman in their right mind married ANBU unless they were ANBU themselves. After he had hit the age of twenty three, he had found himself completely uninterested in settling down. When he made captain all thoughts of having a family were abandoned. It wasn't as if he had ever truly held feelings for anyone in any case.

Now, he was almost twenty seven years old and all he could do was smile at the scene on his boyfriend's bed. They had been traveling for days, having left once Sakura had given Sasuke's daughter the clear to leave. The other children were being taken care of and they would be arriving en masse within a few days. No one had really spoken on the way back, there hadn't really been a need for words. Since his lover had acquired his daughter, he had yet to let her out of his sight, or his arms for that matter. Even now the two of them were sleeping, Sasuke's arm wrapped securely around his little girl, her back pressed to his chest as she slept peacefully.

He was tired; they had traveled non-stop. Sasuke had refused to relax until he had Kira behind Konoha's gates and in his apartment where he knew she would be safe. Neji could understand. All the other previous attempts to take his children and start a new life with them had ended up in failure.

When he had told Sasuke that he would return later the Uchiha had given him a rather upset look, which was now why he was standing in his boyfriend's bedroom and not in his own apartment. He wanted to sleep on the couch and had made the attempt, only to fail for sleep eluded him. Sleeping on the bed with father and daughter seemed…not right. He was Sasuke's lover, but they had only been together for a little over a month, regardless of the intense and undeniable feelings they held for each other.

The girl hadn't seemed adverse to his presence, but she had been too preoccupied with clinging to her father to really care about anything or anyone else. Neji felt that this was a moment that belonged to them and yet Sasuke refused to allow him to back away.

"How long are you going to stand there watching?" Pale eyes blinked as a dark eye opened and Sasuke looked up at him. There was a small shift and he sat up slightly, careful not to jar the girl. Not that he would have. Ever since she had arrived at the apartment and her head had hit the pillow, she had been out for the count. Considering her too pale complexion and the slight bags under her eyes, the sleep she was getting was probably the first real amount of sleep she'd had in a long time. The Uchiha looked down at his daughter briefly, brushing away stray strands of hair from her face. "You afraid I'm going to bite now?" He raised his eyebrow and Neji tilted his head at him.

"Don't be absurd." He smirked. "Besides, I'd bite back."

"Promise?" The two smiled at each other and there was a companionable silence. After a moment, Neji finally gave into the silent command and walked over to the bed, sitting down near Sasuke's legs so as not to bother the girl.

"She is beautiful, by the way," the Hyuuga said honestly. He had never thought much of children, not even when he had been a child himself, but there was something about the little girl. Perhaps it was the fact that his feelings for Sasuke made him see the girl in a different light.

Her hair was black with a slight blue tint to it and her eyes were also obsidian, not grey like Sasuke had claimed. She was paler than her father – which was saying a lot – and her bangs were almost exactly like his, coming down to frame a round face. The long hair Sasuke had spoken of had been cut very short, almost as short as Hinata's hair had been when she had been a girl – Sasuke had not been happy about that. "I can also tell she's very intelligent; she has a certain air about her."

"Hn." Sitting up straighter Neji flashed his lover a small smile when he felt a warm hand move up his arm. "That means a lot, thanks." His gaze went back to the girl. "I keep looking at her and I feel like if I blink she'll be gone. The fact that I'm looking at her is…" He shook his head. "She and Keisuke were all I had."

"I am truly happy for you, Sasuke." He put a hand through thick black hair. He was given a rather strange but intense look at that moment. He blinked again when a warm hand cupped his cheek. Pulling him forward, he was kissed briefly before Sasuke opened his mouth to speak.

"Neji…I –" He paused and both males looked down at the stirring seven year old. Panic filled Neji, a sense that he shouldn't be there. When he tried to get up Sasuke clamped a hand on his shoulder, frowning slightly.

"I…I should…" he began, feeling slightly tongue-tied. How could he explain it to him? Neji was…just the boyfriend. He wasn't that girl's father and there was no telling if anything more would come out of their relationship. He wasn't…family. Maybe it was because he had been raised to feel that outsiders had no business involving themselves in family matters that he was like this, he wasn't entirely sure.

"You should stay," his lover insisted, expression a mix of confused and slightly exasperated. For a second it looked like he was going to say more but refrained, turning instead to brush his hand along Kira's hair.

Unseeing eyes opened and blinked a few times before she let out a soft yawn. After a moment, she jerked and panic filled her. An arm came around her tiny frame and she relaxed, realizing it was her father. Silence filled the room as the girl slowly turned. Shaky hands moved to touch her father's face, to 'see' him as well as she could. Satisfied, she buried her face in his chest and he chuckled lightly.

Once again, Neji felt as if he were intruding on a sensitive moment. Once again, when he tried to move away, Sasuke shot him a look that clearly stated bad things would happen if he tried to bolt. Kira shifted then, turning her head and looking over unerringly at him. A light blush tinted her cheeks and she snuggled closer to her father, shy.

She reminds me of Hinata-sama, he thought fondly. "Hello again," he said politely, knowing that she knew he was there. Her abilities to use her chakra to 'see' with all of her other senses was rather developed. She also seemed to be able to 'read' chakra. It was rather odd…as if that sense replaced her sight.

"Hello," she said softly. They hadn't spoken since the night he had found her. "You're the one that smells like papa. Hyuuga-san…" the last part came out almost like a question and he smiled slightly.

"That is correct…well my name in any case. I'm not entirely sure if I wish to smell like your father or not –" He jerked slightly when he felt something pinch his arm rather hard. To his surprise she giggled.

"Are you going to be staying with me and papa?" she asked, looking inquisitive before she turned her head up to her father. "Is he your boyfriend papa?" When both men stiffened she began to look confused. "B-because…when your chakra and Hyuuga-san's chakra are near it's like…" She interlaced her hands together. "And there's a really happy feeling." Smiling demurely, she snuggled back against her father and yawned. "It's warm."

He had to admit he couldn't remember the last time he had blushed as horribly as he was blushing right now. Thankfully, Sasuke looked just as embarrassed and flashed Neji an uneasy look before tugging his daughter closer. "Yes, Neji and I are…together. Is that alright with you?"

There was another yawn and she nodded. "Hyuuga-san feels really nice, not like the guards at the compound." The next words she said were rather unintelligible as she fell back to sleep.

Now he felt very, very uncomfortable, although strangely pleased as well. He felt it was because his daughter had accepted him so easily. Neji had been worried she would possibly hate him or perceive him to be a threat for her father's attentions.

Standing, he moved to head out and grab something to eat or drink and put some space between them. Arms suddenly wrapped around his middle, startling him. No matter how many times he told himself that he needed to get used to Sasuke's random ability to be extremely fast, it still always unnerved him slightly. The grip around him tightened just a bit.

"I'm…sorry she made you uncomfortable. She didn't mean anything by it."

It took a moment for Neji to realize what Sasuke was implying. He had been caught off guard by the hesitant and guarded note initially. Turning, he faced the raven-haired male and started. Sasuke wouldn't look at him; his gaze kept shifting nervously and his posture was tense.

He looked hesitant and slightly…afraid.

His lover had seemed so confident about his feelings towards him and had been a rather strong pillar of support, that Neji had forgotten that Sasuke had insecurities about their relationship. Now that he was looking at him, those insecurities were quite serious. He did put up a brave and convincing front, but he was scared.

"I am not going anywhere," he assured the other, putting his arms around his waist. "But I also haven't eaten in the past thirty six hours." He smiled slightly. "Hungry?"

At first Uchiha stared at him, as if Neji had said something baffling. A small smile played on his lips after a moment but he still wouldn't meet his gaze and the smile faded. "Neji –"

Tilting his head, he cut Sasuke off with a kiss, pulling him close. It had started out simple and then he gripped his lover hard, deepening the kiss. Sasuke made a small noise in the back of his throat before returning the kiss in earnest, easily obliging when Neji coaxed his lips open. His tongue slipped in, possessive, dominant. Then they were clinging almost desperately to each other, hands moving over arms, stomachs, chests, backs. When they parted they were breathless but Neji recovered first.

"I'm not going anywhere," he insisted and kissed him again.

xxxxx

Hinata-san,

I had decided that since I've lived in the hot and dry lands of Suna all of my life that I would visit a land that was completely opposite. I have been to the land of Iron once before the war began and I've learned that remembering the cold and going through it are two completely different things. Although Snow Country is very beautiful, I find it much more enjoyable from inside a heated room with a hot cup of tea. Unfortunately, their tea is not nearly as good as yours. I should have taken you up on your offer to take some of your blends with you when you had offered.

I am not entirely sure if I like snow. It is beautiful, white and pristine with a soft glow when sunlight hits it. It is softer and less coarse than sand, but mixing the two ends with somewhat messy results. Despite its beauty, the snow and cold makes the land difficult to live in. One can die for overheating; one can also die from the cold. Both are harsh environments and yet I prefer the heat – I suppose there's a bit of a bias there.

The people here are kind and inviting, a little different from my home. I am currently in a village that was having difficulties with hunting and was concerned about having enough food for the blizzard season. I went with the hunting parties for a week or so and we were able to rectify this. I will be here for another month or so because it is unsafe to travel at the moment.

The food here is also interesting. I think I like squid a lot. You have seafood in Konoha don't you? I think I would like to try it upon my return.

I hope you are doing well; I think about you often. Were you able to claim the children? Even if Uchiha does not take the clan as his own I know you will care for them. You will make a wonderful mother someday.

I will write again in a few weeks. Until then.

xxxxx

"So, how're the kids doing?"

With a small smile, Hinata led the Hokage through the former branch house. "It's only been two months, but many of them are adjusting well," she was pleased to report. It had taken the children a while to understand that they were actually free. Not just free but genuinely cared for. None of them had ever known love, affection, or kindness and they soaked up the attention like sponges when the women and elderly began to dote on them. There were still a handful that was distrustful, but they were quickly waning.

Surprisingly, there had been no reports of any rebellions or lashing out against the elders or each other. They were all rather well behaved and highly disciplined because of their rigorous training. Most of it was just due to their age, they were too young to really cause too many problems and only a small percentage of them were past the age of four. There were countless toddlers, no newborns and quite a few below the age of two.

There wasn't a single one of them without black hair and eyes and it wouldn't take people long to figure out they were Uchiha. Many of the boys looked too much like Sasuke for it to be coincidence. There were more boys than girls and from what ANBU had acquired from the compound, it had been done that way on purpose. Kabuto seemed to have only wanted enough females for suitable breeding purposes when they came of age, so many of the girls had been sent to be experimented on. Of course none of the children he had worked on lived.

The pregnant women were living in the hospital and undergoing serious therapy. Out of the five, one had given birth two weeks ago and unsurprisingly fell into postpartum depression. The child, a girl, was being tended to by the nurses at the hospital.

"All of the older children have been really excited about the lessons they've been getting from the caretakers. They're learning how to read. None of them could, and we've been allowing them to play in the gardens and our training grounds whenever they don't have lessons or anything else important." She sighed happily. "Just letting them go out and play has done so much for their mood and helping them to adjust here."

The blonde gave her a huge grin. "That's awesome Hinata-chan, but that's to be expected since it's you." He chuckled when her cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment. "You've always been good with kids; you'll be a great mom."

"Th-thank you Naruto-kun…" No matter how many years went by and despite the fact that she no longer held romantic feelings for him, he still seemed to be able to get her to blush horribly at the drop of a hat. "B-but I'm a little worried…"

Blue eyes blinked at her blankly for a moment before his expression turned strained. "Yeah, I know. Eventually they'll want to explore the village and eventually word will get out. We still haven't even told Sasuke. He thinks they're just a bunch of kids Kabuto kidnapped. I mean, I know we gotta tell him, but how do you go to a guy and say 'oh hey, that bastard who tortured you for ten years was also impregnating women and killing your kids while you laid on an operating table'? I mean, these ain't small numbers Hinata-chan…"

"I know…" She sighed. There was no real way to break the news to Sasuke and he not freak out. Anyone would freak out with that sort of knowledge. In addition, they were still keeping the amnesiac in the dark about his past and the Uchiha had all but stopped asking. More than likely he didn't even want to know anymore. "And then there is his daughter. It's all so…so…"

"Fucked up?" he offered and she nodded sadly. "Yeah, I hear ya, but what can we do? It's only been about six months since we brought Sasuke to the village and he's struggling just to figure out who he is and how he wants to live his life." He scratched the back of his head. "I wanna tell him everything, I really do, but it just seems too soon. It's kind of like it seems like he's still not comfortable in his own skin, you know?"

Her smile was soft and warm; Naruto tended to be rather slow and oblivious to many minor things, but when it came to really important things he was very observant and reliable. "Um, so does that mean that you're not…trying to get him to remember anymore?"

Naruto opened his mouth and then closed it, a sad expression on his face. "No…" He sighed. "Even though Granny told us that he'd never get his memories back, there were those times when he'd do or say something...I gotta admit, me and Sakura were…"

Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. "I understand, Naruto-kun. You didn't mean to hurt Uchiha-san. It had just…brought hope that maybe Tsunade-sama was wrong."

The smile he gave her was rather lopsided. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. Kakashi kept telling us too, but we couldn't help it. Now it's gonna take a while for us to actually become real friends with this Sasuke. I think he kind of started hating us for a while…that kind of sucked." He looked genuinely remorseful. "But at least his ninja skills aren't dead!"

Just like that he had cheered himself up. "He's pretty much back on track with a solid understanding of shinobi basics and it's like his body is just waiting for his mind to catch up. He'll definitely be really close to how powerful he had been back then."

"I'm happy to hear that, Naruto-kun." Her smile was much brighter; it was difficult not to be all smiles around someone as bright as the Hokage. She escorted him to the gates, listening to all of Sasuke's improvements and skill and how he was looking forward to really sparring with the Uchiha soon.

"I'll be stopping by in another few days with Sakura, okay?" he promised. "She wants to do a check up on the kids. I think she's dragging Ino along too." There was a small pause and then he looked at Hinata. "I know the hospital had Neji take a longer leave of absence because of what was going on with him but he was cleared yesterday so…"

She nodded "Yes, I was told. I spoke to him about it briefly. I met him at Uchiha-san's house and we had dinner."

He gave her a look. "Huh? Why was Neji at Sasuke's?"

The Hyuuga head just stared at him for a moment in disbelief. "I…um…I t-thought you knew…" When his response was to give her his squinty eyed look and tilt his head, she coughed politely and turned her head to the side. "Uchiha-san and Neji-niisan are living together; niisan moved in a week ago."

He was also seriously contemplating leaving ANBU but she wasn't going to tell Naruto that, just in case he changed his mind.

"I am not getting younger, Hinata-sama and now I find myself with someone I…I care deeply for and he…" Neji looked up at the night sky. "He wants me to be a part of his family. This idea was terrifying to me at first, but now I'm not so sure. I see the haunted look in his eyes when I awaken from my nightmares at times and I find myself detesting it because I know how he feels. It's the same feeling I have when his nightmares plague him." With a sigh he closed his eyes. "And then there is the fact that besides Kira I am…to him…"

"They're um…together, Naruto-kun," she finished and his eyes widened in shock.

"What?" he exclaimed sharply, making the guards jump and give him looks. With an apologetic grin he turned back to Hinata. "But I thought Neji told him the truth about that whole being lovers thing. What happened?"

With a small giggle she tilted her head slightly. "They became lovers."

"They did what?"

xxxxx

Obviously someone was talking about him because he couldn't stop sneezing. Slightly annoyed, Neji reached up to grab the seasonings he would need for their lunch when he sensed Kira enter the kitchen. Of course, she never wore shoes so her little feet were slapping loudly against the tile and she had a small smile on her face as she often did. Although she did use her chakra to move around, she also remained close to the walls and other surfaces that had been arranged specifically for her needs.

Walking around the tall wooden island the seven year old tilted her head in Neji's direction as if listening. "Do you have a cold Neji-san?"

"I do not." he answered politely and began to season a bowl full of meat. He really hoped he was doing this right. Hinata had shown him once and he was sure he had remembered it. If not, then he would just hope that he wouldn't kill anyone through food poisoning. "There is a saying where if you sneeze three times in a row, or if you find yourself sneezing quite frequently for no reason, that it is a sign someone is talking about you."

"Oh." Her hands reached out and she took two steps forward, leaning against the counter a few feet away from Neji. "Is it true?"

"Hm. I suppose it's all in what you wish to believe. Many people are superstitious of certain things, but not others. It has some merit, but it's more than likely coincidence as opposed to anything supernatural or otherwise at work."

She nodded and didn't say much else after that but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. In the two months that he had come to know the little girl he realized several things. For one, she was extremely observant of everything around her and had no problems asking questions…sometimes to the two males' dismay. Secondly, she was extremely intelligent and while kind and optimistic, she could also be quite shrewd and disbelieving of anything that didn't make logical sense to her. In that sense they got along swimmingly.

They did not talk often, but when they did it was never strained or forced. Kira only approached him if she had something she wanted to say and he was polite and answered any of her questions with stark honesty. Mostly, she observed him through his interactions with Sasuke. According to her father, she really liked him and was happy that he was with her father as the two males obviously seemed very happy with each other.

It was true, for the most part. Neji was well aware of the fact that Sasuke wanted him to be a permanent part of his life and that he loved him. While Neji was content with living with the two of them – after much discussion and arm twisting – he did not wish to describe his feelings as love. Not yet. Their relationship was still very new and Hyuuga could admit that he was incredibly happy.

If he dismissed logic and caution he could even say that he loved Sasuke, but many people jumped too quickly to say the word 'love' in the beginning of a blissful relationship and he didn't want to do that to the Uchiha. What if he was just living in the moment because of how things came to pass? More time would be needed before he would fully throw caution to the wind and go with the flow.

Sasuke still had an inferiority complex and a bit of a self-esteem problem which definitely made its way into their relationship frequently. There was the constant fear that Neji would leave him or find him lacking in some way. It was annoying, not because Sasuke felt that way but because he had been made to feel that way. That his current personality wasn't as desired as his past self's'.

All of Uchiha's little quirks and insecurities were the direct result of poor handling of the amnesiac's feelings and experiences. It didn't help that he knew the villagers all but hated him. His lover refused to leave his house unless it was at night and far away from areas where people would normally congregate. He was incredibly paranoid because of it and so Kira also did not leave the grounds unless Neji was with her. Even then the Uchiha fretted, although he never complained.

Neji had to go out and buy everything needed for the house during the day and he had only taken the girl a few times before she had been too overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people all around her to keep focus. The first time Neji had brought the unconscious girl home from when she had fainted and that had been…well not pretty. Sasuke had given him the silent treatment for two days.

His nightmares and hallucinations had pretty much calmed down to a point where he could meditate. Now he was doing what he always did, locking away the memory until he had need of it again. Neji had been cleared from the hospital and he would have to go and speak to Naruto concerning his active status.

Sasuke's nightmares were still frequent and there had been many, many times where he would get up frequently during the night to go and make sure his daughter was still asleep and safe in her bed. Eventually, Neji had just told Sasuke to have the girl sleep with them until he could calm down because it had been turning him into an insomniac.

This, of course, had placed a solid halt in the intimacy department. But even without it, Neji felt highly uncomfortable doing anything sexual with his lover while Kira was in the house. The girl was seven, blind, and had exceptional hearing. For Neji that was just…weird and very uncomfortable. After about two weeks of that both Neji and Sasuke discovered – to Neji's complete amusement – that the latter became rather irritable and almost pouty when neglected affection for too long.

Sasuke had not thought it amusing that Neji had found it amusing and he had to admit that had been an interesting few weeks. Poor Kira had been so confused with her father's odd mood swings and Neji's amusement from it.

Although Sasuke had a lot of weird quirks and issues that would take time to settle, it did not bother Neji at all. He knew and understood why his lover was the way he was and he had infinite patience when it came to things. It was probably the reason he had found some of Sasuke's actions amusing instead of upsetting.

Arms came around his middle and the long haired brunette smiled as the object of his thoughts and affections pulled him close, looking down at his daughter. "Did you sleep well?"

Smiling, the little girl nodded. "Yes, papa. I like sleeping with you and Neji-san…it's nice."

Although she couldn't see it, her father smiled at her before turning his head to murmur in Neji's ear. "What are you making? It's eight in the morning."

"I am making a dish called 'meatloaf'. Hinata-sama gave it to me so that we could have something for the picnic…" He turned his head to get a better look at Sasuke. "You didn't forget it was today, did you?"

He had, the Hyuuga observed. That happened at times as well; Sasuke had a photographic memory but there would be times when he would just…forget. Tsunade wasn't sure if it was from Kabuto's meddling or something internal, but it wasn't anything horrible so she had dismissed it.

Unfortunately, this time it had been something rather important, as it had taken Neji a good three days to coax Sasuke into being comfortable enough to go out during the day and be surrounded by all of his 'old friends' for a few hours. Judging by the way he was currently tensing and how he had backed away slightly nervous, Neji knew it was going to be a fight.

Thankfully, Kira saved the day. Her face lit up and she took a step forward, reaching for her father's pant leg. "Papa, Hinata-san said that Akio-kun would be there. Is he still going? Will he be there?"

Akio was Kurenai's son, and the two had met when Hinata had stopped by for a visit, and the boy had been curious. The three year age difference between them didn't seem to bother either child and they had quickly become the best of friends. She also had a little crush on him, but that was something only Neji knew and had promised not to tell Sasuke. They both knew he wouldn't take that sitting down.

Fortunately, Kira had her father wrapped around her little finger unknowingly and after a moment of tense silence he sighed. "I'm sure he will be; we'll find out once we get there."

Smiling, Neji turned back to his work. If it was always going to be this easy to get Sasuke to agree to something he and Kira would need to have a rather long talk in the future.