Naruto was sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair, not bothering to pay attention to any of his surroundings.
The chair was killing him, the room was dark and the temperature was odd, he was having issues breathing. Or maybe it wasn't from the temperature. His elbows rested on his knees, his back was bent and his blue eyes were fixed on the woman in the bed before him.
Ino, who had led him to the room, had finally managed to get him to sit, seeing that his feet were barely holding him. He was returning from a battlefield. He was tired. And he was devastated.
The pregnant woman slowly walked around the room, she made sure that Sakura was stable, that the documents for her condition were filled with all the details needed. She silently walked to her and injected a new dose of morphine into the woman's system. Sakura was placed in a medically-induced comma so that the damage to her brain will be as minimal as possible.
After about 20 minutes of fiddling around, Ino finally leaned on the small desk on the other side of the room and stared at the Hokage. He had not moved an inch ever since sitting on his chair, and the Nara woman could clearly see the colors around his eyes that accompanied his Sage Mode.
She walked to him and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to rest," she whispered.
"I'm fine like this."
His voice was weak. It took her some time to take her hand away. She poured some water in a glass and handed it to him.
Naruto slowly reached out and took it, only for it to hang from his hand as he returned the elbow to his knee. "Thanks," he noted.
Seeing that he would not drink it, the woman exhaled and pulled a chair, sitting next to him. She was too pregnant to be able to stand for too long, as much as she wanted to.
The room fell silent as the two of them stared at Sakura, who breathed slowly and evenly, thanks to the machine that was attached to her respiratory system.
"I should have been here," Naruto whispered, his voice so low that it was barely audible.
Ino moved her blue eyes to him, seeing that the bright sky-color that usually filled them was now replaced by a darker one. Like the ocean during a storm. She had seen him upset and worried multiple times throughout the ears, but this here was different. Even when his son was being born, his face had not gone so pale, hearing Sakura scream from the pain of her labor.
And if only he could hear her voice now. Even if she was in pain, he would be here to stop it, to help her. But he had been late. And his wife was on the verge of death now, with nothing that he could do about it.
His head leaned forward and he moved his arms to rub his eyes with the heels of his palms. A deep exhale left his lungs. When fixed his gaze back at his wife, Ino could see that his eyes were somewhat blurry. He was trying to stay strong. But the tears in his eyes were stubbornly trying to break free.
Not looking at her, he took a deep breath and held it for a moment. "Shikamaru is alright. He is in Kirigakure right now, waiting safe there with the rest of our team."
Ino nodded. She knew that Naruto would have told her if something was not right with her husband, even in this terrible situation, so she had not been worried. And still, it was relieving to know that he was safe. She felt the baby move inside her belly and couldn't help but smile. Her hand reached in to touch the place. The baby often moved when she was thinking of Shikamaru. She missed him and hoped that he would be back by the time she gave birth. Otherwise she would have to smack him pretty hard.
Blinking, she shot her eyes up, feeling guilty that she was having happy thoughts during this awful moment. And still, she did not miss the fact that Naruto had directed his eyes to her now, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips. He had grown to become a strong and quite handsome man. Sakura was a lucky woman.
"Listen," she spoke as she slowly stood up. "Sakura is too strong to give up now. Tao Hyuuga did some miracles with those internal ruptures. She will be alright. You just have to be strong enough for the three of you now."
Naruto watched her for a moment, then slowly nodded. The faint smile was still on his lips, but it did not reach his eyes at all. "I know," he noted.
A gentle knock came from the door and the two blonds watched as it opened silently. Kakashi walked in, staring at Naruto with his dark eye. His brows were furrowed, a painful expression occupying his face. As he walked further into the room, Naruto's breathe hitched as he watched a child follow the masked man, absently holding his gloved hand.
The boy was rubbing one of his green eyes as a yawn escaped him. He then shifted his gaze to see that his father was no more than a few feet away.
Mirai gaped for a moment, then ripped his hand away from Kakashi's hold and ran to his father. Naruto pushed the chair back and knelled on the floor, hugging his child for dear life. A second later, the boy moved away, pushing his dad back so he could stare at him. They exchanged looks until he raised his small arm and landed a slap on the Hokage's face.
His palm was so small that the sound that came from the slap was barely noticeable. And still, both the Copy Nin and Ino gaped at this reaction.
"Where were you?" Mirai spoke, his voice angry, but low. He waited for an answer, but as he did not get one, he continued. "Mom was hurt. And you weren't here to protect her."
Naruto opened his mouth to speak, finding it hard to find the words. "I'm sorry," was all he was capable of.
"No." The child backed away even further and went to the bed, tiptoeing to see above it. He touched his mother's hand carefully, then turned to his dad once more. "You will teach me how to protect mommy from zombie people." His small voice was so serious that Ino tried hard not to smile. "And I'm not letting you go away again until you do."
Naruto wiped the tear from his cheek and let out a bitter laugh. "We have a deal."
Sasuke did not hesitate for a second to storm through that side-door. He walked into the room, knowing perfectly well that Hanabi had entered right behind him and had closed the door shut. He decided to ignore her. He would have enough time to deal with her later.
There were two beds in this small room, but both boys had occupied only one of them, sitting on it, their backs leaning on to the wall behind them, their shoulders pressed tightly to each other.
Hanabi leaned on the door, interested to watch this exchange. She thought that Sasuke would rush to his children, that they would jump up and run to him. But this didn't happen. Instead, the man calmly walked to them, pulling a chair and placing it right before the bed. He sat on it and his red eyes peered at the boys, shifting to examine both of them.
His Sharingan lingered a bit longer on Hayato, then his eyes closed and he rubbed his temple with his fingertips, deactivating his kekkei genkai.
"Is mother alright?" Itaru asked, his voice somewhat huskier that what was normal for a four year old.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then looked at Hanabi. The young woman folded her arms on her chest. "Does your aunt not let you see her?"
The Hyuuga woman narrowed her eyes at him. His dark gaze stuck on her for a while, his expression completely calm. He then turned his attention back to his children.
"She wanted us to let her rest for a while and we agreed."
"She knew that you were coming," Hayato added, his voice somewhat hesitant. "And she wanted you to talk to mom in private."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow again, then the corners of his mouth curled upwards for only a fragment of a second. So his sister-in-law was not a bitch to his children, as much as he had expected her to be.
"Is mother alright?" Itaru asked again. This time there was impatience in his voice. His onyx eyes were stuck to his father's matching ones.
"She is getting better."
"And the baby?" the boy continued.
For a moment Sasuke hesitated. So his sons knew about this as well. Gritting his teeth, he shifted in his chair. "The baby is gone."
Both boys reacted simultaneously, as if Hanabi was watching someone in a mirror. They both widened their eyes, then opened their mouths to speak, but just couldn't say a thing. A few moments passed before Hayato let his hands cup his face. He took sharp breaths, obviously trying to calm himself. "It's my fault," the child spoke. His voice was muffled from underneath his palms.
Itaru was staring at his brother, unconsciously biting at his lower lip. "Stop it," he urged his twin.
Sasuke slowly reached in and removed Hayato's hands from his face, there were tears in his eyes, but the boy was fighting to hold them. The man exhaled and placed his palm on his son's head, ruffling his dark hair.
"I should have been here," he spoke, his voice sounding bitter.
"He was after me," the boy continued, breathing unevenly. "Because I'm weak."
"Being sick has nothing to do with being weak, boy," Hanabi spoke before she could stop herself. She ignored Sasuke's interested gaze that was forwarded her way and stared at the child. "And your father is right. He should have been here. Depending on his children to look after his own mess is somewhat unfair. Don't you think?" she asked, this time moving her pale eyes to stare at the man.
To her surprise, a smirk appeared on his lips as he leaned back into his chair. They exchanged gazes, until she suddenly felt really odd and looked away.
Returning his eyes to the twins, Sasuke regained his seriousness. "The baby was making your mother sick. It is better this way."
Hayato looked away. Itaru narrowed his eyes. "Then why was she having a baby in the first place?"
"Because I am an idiot," the man explained, feeling a headache creep in. His children had every right to scold him, and still, it did not help him feel any better about this utter mess.
"Good to know that you finally came to your senses, Uchiha," Hanabi mentioned as she pushed herself off the door. "It's time for you to leave. My clan and I can tolerate you under our roof only this long."
Sasuke turned to gaze at his children one last time and let it turn crimson, memorizing each detail about them and their chakra flow with his Sharingan. He then walked out the door, stopping at the door-frame to give them a serious look. "We'll talk again soon."
Hanabi rolled her eyes at him, pushing him out the room. She grit her teeth as the man ignored her and walked to Hinata, who was just now deactivating her Byakugan. She had been staring at them through the wall this entire time.
The man leaned toward her and kissed her carefully. A faint blush had appeared on her cheeks, indicating that her condition was getting better.
"I'll be back before you know it," he whispered in her ear.
She offered him a faint smile. "Be careful."
"I'm always careful."
"Liar," she accused and pulled on a stray strand of his dark hair. It had grown longer again, but she really liked it like that. Especially when he put the back of it in a ponytail while training.
He then headed to the door that would lead him out of the Hyuuga compound. Upon exiting the room he herd her call him.
"Sasuke," she exclaimed and waited for him to stop. He did not turn around. "Please check how Sakura is doing for me."
He nodded and walked ahead. Hanabi pushed him by the shoulder, forcing him to pick up his pace, feeling the urge to smack the smirk off his face. Seriously, he was getting on her nerves too much.
Dozens of Byakugan eyes were fixed on him as she led him outside of the mansion, where she found Tao waiting for her. The two Hyuugas walked a bit further, keeping a safe distance from the Uchiha, who had dug his hands in the pockets of his pants and was walking calmly, headed to the road in front of the compound's main house.
"See you later, Hyuuga princess," Sasuke spoke as he gave her a crimson look. He knew that she couldn't stand his Sharingan.
"To hell with you, Uchiha," the girl yelled at him as he walked further ahead. She stared at him for a moment, clenching her fists, until she felt Tao's hand on her shoulder. She nodded at him and let him walk her back into the house. It would be a very long night of explaining. Unless…
"I'm tired," she whispered so that only her adviser could hear her.
He smiled at her. She didn't need to say much for him to understand her. And she loved that. Walking back, Hanabi was met by a wave of yelling and screaming clan members. They had circled around her, asking questions, throwing accusations. The girl grit her teeth again, freezing in her feet, seeing that she had no way of escaping this swarm of angry Hyuugas.
"Hanabi-sama is in no condition to be interrogated," Tao suddenly spoke, his voice somehow rising above the rest.
A moment of silence fell into the main hall as Hanabi took a step forward, watching as the wall of people separated. Walking back to her private chambers, she stood before the door, finally relaxing her fists. Her fingers hurt from all the pressure.
"Will you be alright here," Tao asked. After all, her room was now occupied by her sister and the two boys that he still refused to dwell upon. Because they really reminded him of Hinata, and yet, were obviously Uchiha.
"Yes, this whole floor was granted as my private court, remember. There are plenty or rooms here. Besides, I'd prefer if I was closer to my sister right now. I don't trust the clan. This is too complicated."
Tao frowned. For the first time in his life did he see his young clan-leader so tired. "Then let me help you."
His voice was calm and it soothed her nerves, as always. Hanabi's crush on him reminded her of its existence as the girl felt her heart beat faster. She looked away, closing her eyes for a moment.
She was the Hyuuga clan's leader. She had no time to be distracted by pretty boys.
"I'd like to get some sleep now. Would you meet me tomorrow morning? I'd need some advice regarding the issues I'm about to have with the clan."
"I'll meet you here at 8."
Nodding, she walked in through the door, finding that the twin boys had come out of their room and were now sleeping at Hinata's both sides. It appeared that the woman had drifted off to sleep as well.
Sighing, Hanabi walked to the left, where the entrance to the guest bedroom was, and crashed on the mattress face first, letting her rather odd dreams consume her immediately.
Mirai had convinced his father that he could lie very still, and had been allowed on Sakura's bed, where he carefully had hugged her from the side and was now sleeping with a frown on his face.
Naruto was still in his chair, his Sage Mode active, tracing his wife's energy. He suddenly felt Sasuke closing in to the hospital but ignored him. He could sense as the man climbed the stairs, reaching the second floor, and could hear him well as he walked to the room. The door was opened carefully, but he did not walk in. He leaned on the doorframe with his shoulder, his arms folded on his chest.
The two men exchanged gazes for a moment, then Naruto returned his to Sakura.
"How's Hinata?" he asked.
"She's lost the baby," Sasuke replied, feeling as the iron grip had returned and was squeezing his heart again. He really needed to stop giving this information to people. Repeating it over and over did not help his anger.
Naruto's eyes snapped back to his ex-teammate. His eyebrows lowered in a painful expression. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not, " the Uchiha explained and walked in, closing the door behind him. "The baby was killing her. It's better this way. Her injuries are not too serious. She'll be fine."
"Good," Naruto noted, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Glad to know that."
Silence fell upon the room as the blond stared ahead again. Sasuke did not need to ask about Sakura's situation. His Sharingan could see just how bad her condition was.
And still, her chakra flow was solid. It was moving steadily across her system.
"Goddamn this all," Naruto finally hissed. "Just when I thought that things were getting better."
"I told you that nothing good will come out of me returning here," Sasuke spoke, his voice flat.
"Did you now?" the Uzumaki asked, a mocking smile on his lips.
"I am fairly certain I told you. And even if I missed to point that out, did you seriously think that I could return here and that we could be the good old Team 7 again?"
"Of course not. Too many things have changed. And still, I always imagined that at twenty-four I'd have a nice and happy life."
"You could have, if you hadn't dragged me here."
"Stop being so stupid," the blond snapped, turning to his friend. "With or without you here, we would have still faced the revived Uchiha clan problem. At least with you here we have a fighting chance in defeating that Kabuto bastard once and for all."
"I doubt that I'll manage to achieve much with this, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was calm, but the way his eyes were fixed determinately onto the floor told the Hokage that the man was not at all peaceful. "I'll fight, and I'll try my best. But I'll most probably die in this battle."
The blond raised an eyebrow. "Don't-"
"And I'm willing to do this, gladly, if this would mean that Hinata and the boys would be safe."
Naruto blinked a couple of times. It was almost like this wasn't Sasuke at all. The man that stood next to him was not an angry, hateful and vengeful ball of messed-up problems. This man was tired, and worried. And he loved someone more than he loved himself.
The blonde smiled. He was happy that Sasuke had finally found someone that was able to mend his broken heart.
"Hey," he started, "listen. I'm not gonna let you kill yourself that easily. You have children to look after, dammit. But whatever happens, I will make sure that Hinata and the boys are in good hands."
His smile faded when Sasuke gave him a deadly stare. "I'd prefer if she remains in my hands."
Oh. So he was the jealous type? The Uzumaki smiled again and fixed his eyes on Sakura and his son, sleeping next to her. He had always been sure that he would be the jealous man, and that Sasuke would be the confident husband who would not care for competition.
Oh, how well things have gone in the opposite directions. The Uchiha's face still had some of that bitterness from a few seconds ago. As for himself… Naruto had never minded it when Sakura whispered Sasuke's name in her sleep. He loved her too much to care about that.
"We need to think of a new plan," the man spoke, deactivating his Sharingan.
Naruto nodded, somewhat happy that he had been torn from his thoughts. "We do. And we will, in the morning."
Note:
I like how this chapter turned out, even though it was a bit slow. But it's the base for a lot that's about to happen.
I'll try to write chapter 12 tomorrow.
Oh and by the way, do you like Tao Hyuuga? I usually refrain from having OCs in my fics, not unless it's really needed for the story (like the kids here), but I just couldn't help and have a hot Hyuuga helping around.