A.N

These couple chapters are kicking my butt. I keep trying to get them just right but I can't seem to get the same grip on the story that I had before. It's just a little slippery but unlike the last chapter i do feel like this is more in the direction it was before.

I got a review that said the last chapter flowed- to my utter surprise because I HATED it. But if it's not so bad then great! I'm glad it made sense. That was the main thing I felt like it didn't even mesh or something.

Still missing my darling flamers, it would appear that they no longer want to wound me deeply and alas our relationship has ended. Too bad, I was enjoying their repetition- like a rap song. A bad one.

Much love,

Inky


Listening to the heart beat pumping in her chest Hinata stared up at her phone, held up against the bright light of her room.

Her bed was mercifully empty of toddler limbs and heads and she was able to sprawl on the futon , glaring at the black screen of her cell with distaste.

She could call Tsunade, cancel, explain that the afternoon classes were too much of a disturbance for her kids and take the hit on her still tenuous hold on her job. Nothing should get between her and her kids, and this thing was going to cost her two evenings a week.

Tsunade's text glared back at her when she pressed the button on her phone. Cheery and carefree.

Hope you're ready for your English Cram Sessions after school tomorrow! Have a good night!

Sighing Hinata rolled off the bed and wandered to the hall, popping her head into the room where two little bodies snored soundly, noses whistling in the dark. Smiling Hinata closed the door again and looked back at her apartment, assesing it like it would give her an answer to her questions.

Haku and Sora had been more than just excited at the idea of having Sasuke and Kiba pick them up after daycare, and after running around the house yelling their pleasure Haku had sensed Hinata's hesitation, taking his mother's face in his tiny dirty hands to plant a kiss on her nose the way she always did to him.

"It's okay, Ka-san. We love you too."

Oh good. Hinata had laughed. But the statement had not done much to remove her hesitation. Sora was potty trained, but still had occasional accidents, and besides getting them home on the train in one piece they also had to serve them dinner and get them ready for bed.

Rubbing her face tiredly Hinata sighed, thinking about Haku's excited jumping on his bed, arms waving around his head. "Uncle Sasuke! Uncle Sasuke!"

"Won't hurt to try, at least..."

Slowly she walked back into her room after turning off the lights and plopped onto her bed, turning the phone on again and hesitating in the glow of the screen over Sasuke's name for a second.

Steeling herself she dialed, feeling her legs kicking nervously as she rolled over onto her tummy biting her lip.

The phone rang, and rang and for a second she almost hung up when Sasuke's voice filtered through into her ear, sounding surprised.

"Hinata?"

A smile lingered on her lips for a second at the name.

"Hi... um... I was just calling to ask if you're sure about taking care of the kids tomorrow, I'm a little nervous and..."

"Hinata."

Burying her face into her pillows she sighed. "I know... I just..."

"I can't guarantee that the apartment will survive unscathed but the kids will be alive by the time you get back. Hopefully having eaten something. Have you spoken to them about it?"

She felt a laugh escape her. "Yes."

"Oh?"

"Haku had to assure me that he also loved me, despite his excitement for you guys."

"Oh." Sasuke's voice sounded genuinely surprised. "Well... good, then."

For a second there was silence in which she listened to his quiet breathing, and swallowing hard she murmured. "Um... I also wanted... to ask about Naruto's letters?"

The silence continued for a moment, and she shifted further into her pillow, making her voice muffled. The quiet almost non existent conversation they had exchanged in the teachers lounge on the first day of term had ended without his agreement or disagreement. She had been wondering when to bring it up again, but the words had spilled out of her thoughtlessly now. The panic in his face had been so clear that day, and with her curiosity piqued she simply couldn't keep it in.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hai... I...yes... which...which ones?"

Surprised by his floundering tone she squeezed her eyes shut, kicking her legs furiously behind herself.

"Ano... I'm not sure- is there... is it okay? You sound a little unsure and I-"

"No, I'm fine. I just, there's..." he sighed. "There's a lot of them, Hinata."

Hinata stared into the dark of her tightly closed eyes, watching as colors drifted lazily in the black while her heart thumped. "How many?"

"...a lot. I haven't... even read them all yet."

Slowly Hinata sat up, pulling her knees into her chest with her phone firmly and painfully pressed to her ear.

"Sasuke." she heard his soft intake of breath. "How many?"

"More than sixty."

Hinata pressed her face to her jean clad knees, hard. Her finger tips felt suddenly a little numb.

"Oh...Sasuke." she sighed, and the wobble in her voice betrayed her.

"I know... I'm sorry." he began, startling her. "I should have... I should have replied to him, at least told him to stop."

Hinata's short laugh surprised him, it was tainted with tears despite her amusement. "If you told Naruto to stop he would have-"

"Sent one every day." he whispered, and the hurt in his voice made her pause. "Sasuke-kun...he loved you, he wouldn't have wanted those letters to be a burden."

The silence hung heavy for a minute and sighing she rubbed her face. "Can we read them together? After I get home from the cram session tomorrow?"

"Kiba will be there..." Sasuke began with uncertainty.

"I think Naruto would have liked Kiba-kun." Hinata murmured, laying her head against her arms as she watched the stars through her window.

"...hai."

"Okay. See you tomorrow then."

"Hai."

On the other side of the city Sasuke stared at his phone from the floor where he had been sprawled reading, Hinata's name glowing back on his face.

From the couch Kiba blinked at him with distaste. "You didn't want me around did ya?"

"No." Sasuke replied without pause making him grimace.

"You dick."

"The letters are..." he paused. "They're not easy, Inuzuka."

"Nothing worthwhile ever is. For all your brains you kind of don't know shit." Kiba grumbled, sitting up. "I should go though, I gotta get some sleep before I wreck my students' day with a pop quiz tomorrow."

Sasuke nodded, sitting up with the phone in his hand, staring at it.

"He talks about her in his letters, doesn't he?" Kiba murmured, watching Sasuke tense. His friend kept his eyes down, dropping his phone to the floor with a sigh. "Yes."

"This guy." Inuzuka continued, pulling his jacket over his shoulders. "Was he good to her?"

Sasuke sighed, leaning against his couch with his hands over his eyes. "Yes."

"I've never asked." Kiba murmured, hesitating at the doorway before the hall, hand gripping the door frame a little too tight. "I never asked why you came here, when I found out you had run away from home, and I won't." He added, watching Sasuke's face tighten at his words.

"But whatever it was that made you leave someone who cared about you- about people- the way that her husband seemed to... I'm sorry it happened, Sasuke. Whatever it was, I'm sorry."

Not waiting for a reply he strode down the hall, leaving Sasuke with his hands pressing into his eyes trying to distract himself from the pain in his chest.


"You look moody." Kiba commented with a grin at Hinata as she glanced up at him from her desk, her chin pressed firmly into her palm, her eyes a little wet.

"My babies." It was supposed to be the start of a sentence but it didn't get any further as her throat caught the rest of the words. Sasuke shot Kiba a glare that would make satan wince from across the desk. "Baka."

"Ack." Kiba gasped, putting a hand to her shoulder before her tears started spilling. "Hey! It's going to be okay, they're going to have a blast bossing us around, and then they're going to be so glad to have some semblance of order when you show up they're going to never want to let you go, it'll be a win win all around."

"Hai." Hinata whispered, allowing herself a tired little laugh. "I am just going to miss them, it's silly, sorry. You guys are doing me such a huge favor."

"No." Sasuke snapped suddenly. "Don't."

"He's right," Kiba agreed. "Not very eloquent, but he's right. I mean, you took the classes so pretty face over there doesn't get in any more trouble with Tsunade-san."

If he could have said anything else that would have made him feel more guilty Sasuke would have been surprised. The death glare returned. Kiba grinned at him. "You need me, bro. We're going to look after kids in a few minutes, I'm essential."

Hinata's teary giggle made them look back to her, Kiba smiling with some relief. "There she is." He sighed. "Okay. So you'll be at the house at around five thirty, yes?"

"Hai." Hinata nodded, standing up and walking with them towards the front doors. "Dinner is in the fridge, just put it in the oven at 350 when you get in, and don't let Sora eat nothing but potatoes please."

"Will do." Kiba nodded, opening the front door and looking at Sasuke with a very serious expression. "Ready?"

"Hn." Sasuke sighed, glancing back at HInata as he stepped out. "Might be easier without him."

Hinata smiled again, blinking in the light of the sunset. "Thank you."

"Stop!" Kiba shouted from the bottom of the steps. "Stop the thankfulness! You're too much cute!" he threw his arms in the air in frustration, making her laugh again. "Okay."

"See you soon." Sasuke murmured softly, eyes lingering on the glittering tears drying on her lashes for a moment, resisting the urge to wipe them away with some difficulty.

Waving gently Hinata let the door close behind them, sighing.

Back to work, I guess...

Glancing back over his shoulder Sasuke watched her disappear into the school, turning back to the street with a look Kiba wasn't sure how to interpret.

"Nervous?" He asked finally, eyeing him as they trudged along the slush left over from the snow.

"No." Sasuke lied, and then glared at Kiba again when he smirked back knowingly.

"Maybe a little." he admitted finally.

"Not as nervous as you'd be sitting in that classroom with the entire female population of the school. If you'd been teaching it there would have been lines."

"Well, it filled just with Hinata." Sasuke replied, making Kiba stop. "Really?"

"That's what Tsunade-san said."

"Hm." Kiba pondered, kicking at a rock on the sidewalk thoughtfully. "I wonder if her fan club signed up."

Sasuke stopped walking, staring at him. "Her what?"

Kiba kept going, ignoring his shock. "Her fan club."

"What?"

"You're deaf."

"Kiba." Sasuke actually ran up beside him, looking incredulous. "Her what?"

"F-A-N space C-L-U-B." Kiba replied slowly, enunciating with precision. He grinned. "You didn't think you were the only teacher with one did you?"

It was probably the first time he had ever seen Sasuke's flounder for words quite the way he did in that moment, mouth open like a fish out of water.

"Told you she glowed." Kiba grumbled as they neared the train station, making it even harder for Sasuke to find any words to say.


She was tired. The kind of bone tired she had not been in a little bit, and as she wandered down the hall of her apartment she wondered that neither of the boys had bothered to call or text her with any questions about the kids. Worriedly she stared at her doorway, wondering briefly what she would find on the other side.

Hand lingering with her jingling keys over the lock she sighed, and opened the door, peering inside at the quiet.

A hurricane had come through, there were pillows from her bed in the hall, and a smear of something that looked like jam on the hall wall. She stared at it as she removed her shoes, moving carefully through the chaos as though perhaps she was entering a haunted house.

"...h...hello?"

"Shss." Someone hissed, and peering around the corner into the family room she froze.

Sora's chair was upside down, toys were strewn over the table, among the dishes from dinner, and beneath it where the kids' uniforms were crumpled. On the floor beside the table lay Kiba with Haku's octopus shaped pillow beneath his head, fast asleep with Sora spread across his chest like a star fish.

On the other side of the table with his back to the wall of Hinata's room sat Sasuke, with Haku asleep on his lap, the toddler's dark head resting on his stomach, gripping his sailing book to his body.

Sasuke's eyes trained on her with a bit of shame. "Gomen..." he volunteered slowly, looking around at the disaster, the sound of softly playing cartoons coming through the TV and the light of the colorful characters sending crazy shadows dancing in the dark.

Hinata's mouth and eyes were parallel O shapes of surprise as she scanned everything, lingering on Kiba and Sora, and then on Haku fast asleep on Sasuke.

Swallowing hard she breathed in. "No...I..." she bit her lip hard, looking back at him with a weak smile. "...I can't... believe they fell asleep." she whispered, coming to sit down beside him. Sasuke jumped a little at the feel of her hip resting against his and her shoulder pressing into his side.

"...they played rather hard." he ventured, watching her reach out to pry the sailing book from Haku's fingers slowly.

"I'm too gentle." she whispered, kissing the tiny fingers as she removed the book.

Before he had thought it the word was popping out of his mouth involuntarily. "No."

She gave a short quiet laugh. "Yes... I am. They used to play so rough with Naruto." She shook her head and her hair lingered over his shoulder. He picked up the ends of a strand between two fingers as she shifted Haku into her arms, letting go quickly before she noticed, rubbing his fingers together to dispel the feel of the silk on his skin.

"Kids need to tumble." she whispered again, moving to stand with the boy in her arms. Sasuke pushed himself up, taking her arms by the elbows to haul her and Haku up together.

"Arigato."

"They tumble." He murmured, standing by the door frame as she settled her son into his bed gently, kissing his nose before pulling the blankets over him.

"I'm just thankful." she supplied. "That you and Kiba-kun are able to spend time with them... that you're willing."

Sasuke swallowed as she moved towards Kiba and Sora. Kiba had one eye open, wincing. "Sorry." He began as well, making her laugh again, shaking her head as she gently lifted the lifeless form of Sora, save for the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Rag doll-like her arms flopped from her body as Hinata carried her to bed, coming back out and closing the door with a deep sigh of relief.

"You're a wizard." Kiba grunted, stretching out his aching back. "I tried getting her to bed three times before and she woke up every time."

Hinata's smile had yet to leave her face as she gathered up the uniforms from under the table. "They gave you guys a hard time, huh?"

"No." Kiba shook his head, sounding a little forced.

"They were excited." Sasuke supplied, moving to pick up the dinner dishes.

"Ano..." Her hand fluttered over his for a second, making him pause and stare at it, small and pale and delicate over his knuckles. "...do you mind...getting the letters out for me, instead?"

Swallowing hard again he straightened. "...hai."

"I would love to help clean up- but I can go if-" Kiba began suddenly, surprising Sasuke and earning a confused look from him. Hinata shook her head. "Kiba-kun, stay... you can hardly walk." she laughed softly, pointing out his slight limp as he stretched out his now sleeping leg from laying sideways on the floor.

"Battle wounds." he offered, smiling.

Sasuke moved to his bag at the end of the hall, feeling his hands start to get clammy as he pulled out the bundle of letters he had read so far, walking back and watching as Hinata caught sight of him, holding the brick shape of Naruto's words.

"Oh." she sighed, making Kiba pause from putting blocks away at the sound, glancing at the handful with a wince.

"...there's...so many more than I realized." she whispered. "Picturing them in my head..." slowly her shoulders drooped as she looked down, studying the toys in her grip.

"...this isn't..." Sasuke began and she nodded, cutting him off. "That's not even half, is it." There was no question in her tone.

Slowly he shook his head, and sighing Hinata threw the toys into the bin beside her. "Well... we may as well get started then."


"...you punched me in the face so hard that I actually couldn't smile without it hurting, my lip was so swollen and everyone called me Kissy for weeks afterwards. Man, I cannot believe how much you hated being teased about your pretty face..."

Kiba stopped reading, drawing in a breath to steady his laugh. Hinata's tears had started the moment the first letter was open, and Sasuke sitting with his forehead pressed to his arms resting on the table just sighed, listening to her soft tear filled laugh.

"He... never spoke to me about that." She whispered, brushing the tears away with her sleeve.

The toys had been cleaned up, three coffee cups sat on the table at varying degrees of finished, and the kitchen was dark, only the light of the lamp behind Kiba shed light into the room, letting Sasuke hide the pain on his face in the shadows.

"So it's a thing since you were little." Kiba commented drily. "Not wanting to be called, pretty face."

"I could punch you now and make it a lifelong thing." Sasuke muttered darkly, making Kiba smirk.

"...There were so many times that we got concussions, I wish we could sit around and talk about the things you remember that I don't and vice versa. I know for sure there was one time that we fell out of that tree, remember? Probably not, you were dizzy for days and all the way home you threw up until there was nothing left in you, I swear. Most disgusting stroll we ever took." Kiba's voice wavered with his laughter.

A chuckle escaped Sasuke suddenly, and Hinata smiled, watching his shoulders shake for a moment before he lifted his head from the table, and she stopped, suddenly catching the glitter of tears on his face in the dim light.

Like a magnet she moved forward.

"I don't think I can keep..." going he was going to say, but stopped stunned as she crawled forward until their bent knees were side by side, and unceremoniously wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him hard to herself.

"Y-You're crying." she sobbed, and Sasuke reached up, touching his face past her hair, feeling the wetness there with some surprise.

Kiba sighed, lowering the letter to his lap. "I think that's enough for one day, kids." He murmured, folding it up.

"Kiba-kun." Hinata whimpered, peering at him from Sasuke's shoulder, her pale eyes glittering in the dim light of the lamp.

"Hm?" He leaned forward, and to his surprise her hand reached out, grabbing his shirt and pulling him in hard until she had both her arms around both their necks.

"Ano... I'm... I'm really thankful for both of you- and I don't care if my thankfulness is annoying." She spilled out, her shoulders trembling as she gripped them harder. "I don't care."

Kiba and Sasuke felt each other relax at her tightening grip. "Hina-chan." Kiba sighed, shaking his head as he rubbed her back.

Glancing at each other over her head Sasuke winced, just as Kiba did.

Damn.

We're in trouble now.


Leave me some love, ne?

-Inky