Title: Cousin

Rating: T

Summary: Fugaku is spending more time with his family and Inabi is training Sasuke. And then Shisui comes over looking for Itachi and Fugaku isn't sure, but he thinks that maybe Sasuke hates his cousin.

Warnings: Serious stuff going down here people, get your hanky.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.

Author Note: Latelatelate. I know. Sorry. So many stories, so little time. But, I'm back. :) Also, Romantiscue has written me an Omake for this chapter :) Because she loves me :)

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Fugaku watches Sasuke spar with Inabi in the back yard. He's taken Friday off again to be with his family for longer periods of time. Sasuke hugs him every morning and Fugaku finds that he is now touching his family more. He kisses his wife every time he sees her and hugs his sons and he clasps the shoulders of those he works with, and when the smaller children are playing in the park and he's the one to help babysit, they are no longer wary of dragging him around by his hand.

Fugaku also finds that he's been smiling more. It's strange that the assault of his son would open his family to casual touching and sincere gestures of warmth.

Now that Fugaku has been taking his family around to other clans for supper, the Uchihas have also been approached more often by people outside of their own clan. It had started very formally but over the last few months has turned into social visits and dinners with friends, rather than meetings with allies.

Inabi pauses the sparring and crouches down by Sasuke, explaining something to him.

Fugaku watches.

"Uncle!" Shisui Uchiha, Jiro's eldest son, barges through the back door, "Do you know where Itachi is?" He's out of breath and Fugaku smirks.

"I haven't seen him since he left for the Mission Room this morning." He tells his nephew, "Why are you looking for him?"

"Oh," Shisui grins, "I'm headed out on a four day mission and wanted to bug him a little before I left."

"Oh really," Fugaku mentally rolls his eyes. Shisui is a bit like Obito once was, though less exuberant around non-Uchihas. "Bug him? Or torment him?"

As Shisui chuckles and tells Fugaku that he doesn't torment Itachi, the head of the clan notices that Sasuke has stiffened and is watching him and his cousin with spinning Mangekyō eyes.

He stands and manoeuvres himself in between his son and Shisui.

"Uncle?" Shisui frowns and then his eyes widen and he glances around Fugaku to see Sasuke. He bites his lip and looks to Fugaku, "How is Sasuke?"

"Doing better," Fugaku says quietly. Fugaku doesn't know why Sasuke is responding in such a way to Shisui and he wants to know, but he isn't going to push right now.

"Oh," Shisui has calmed considerably and he runs a hand through his shoulder length hair. Most of the Uchiha clan who previously had long hair had cut it so that it was no longer than their shoulders. They knew what had happened to Sasuke and they didn't want to cause him to flashback. "And Itachi? Is he still following Sasuke around?"

"Not as much," Fugaku is proud that his eldest son has curbed his tendencies to stalk his youngest. It had been somewhat disturbing to sense Itachi every time he'd seen Sasuke.

There had been a change in Itachi the day after Inabi had come over to talk with Sasuke before the Academy had started, and the genius had seemed to start to relax around his little brother. He still hovered over him, but he also started to help Sasuke whenever he could. It is a change that Fugaku is thankful for.

"So, um," Shisui fidgets a bit and Fugaku reaches out and lays a hand on his shoulder. Shisui startles but doesn't pull away. It's still new, this touching people thing that Fugaku has been trying, but no one has denied him yet. At least, no one in the family. "Uncle Inabi is teaching Sasuke?"

"Yes," Fugaku nods, "Kichō is recovering from her mission in the hospital still."

"I heard," Shisui murmurs. He pauses then looks up at Fugaku, "Is she really half blind?" He is curious and Fugaku can understand why. The Mangekyō is very tempting to activate, given its abilities, but that temptation is tempered by the costs.

"Yes. She can no longer see colours and her vision has deteriorated to the point where she can't see much past twenty-five feet." Fugaku shakes his head. Kichō knew what she was getting into at least. "Using the Mangekyō she can see more clearly than any of us, but her chakra reserves are too small for her to use her eyes for very long. That is one of the reasons she was injured."

"She can fight blind though, right?" Shisui asks, "I've seen her practicing blindfolded."

"Yes, she can fight blind," Fugaku agrees. It is something that the Uchiha have to practice, though every single member of the family hates it. They have a powerful dōjutsu and just in case they mature their eyes too far, they practice fighting blind. It's something they hide from the rest of Konoha. The Uchihas aren't ashamed of their Mangekyō, but they are aware of how it could seem to others. It's something they won't have to hide much longer, now that the Clans are getting along and the fact that Fugaku has explained to the Council exactly what the Mangekyō is.

There is a tug on Fugaku's shirt and he looks under his arm to his hip to see Sasuke hiding behind him, eyes black as night. "Father?"

"Sasuke," Fugaku lets his arm rest over Sasuke's shoulder casually and the boy smiles up at him, "Are you done training with Inabi?"

"No," Sasuke says and his eyes don't stray from Shisui, "Hello, Cousin."

"Sasuke," Shisui smiles brightly.

The smile is fake and Fugaku wonders if Sasuke can tell.

"How are you?" Sasuke asks and Fugaku wants to draw his son away from Shisui for some odd reason. He can't pinpoint why he doesn't want Sasuke near Shisui, but he trusts his senses.

Then he wonders if he wants to remove Sasuke from Shisui's presence for Sasuke's sake, or for Shisui's.

Fugaku gestures for Inabi to come forward and hands his son over to his cousin, "Continue training, Sasuke," He tells Sasuke and presses a light kiss on the boy's forehead. Sasuke doesn't flinch and Fugaku is grateful to Jogen for the all the help he is providing for Sasuke.

"Goodbye, Cousin," Sasuke says and Fugaku thinks that Sasuke's words seem very final and it worries him.

Shisui just grins and waves.

"Shisui," Fugaku draws Jiro's son into the house, "I don't think that you should be alone with Sasuke."

"Uncle!" Shisui exclaims and his face contorts in dismay, "I would never hurt Sasuke!"

"I-" Fugaku breaks off then licks his lips, "I'm not worried that you will hurt Sasuke, Shisui."

Shisui frowns and then cocks his head to the side. "Why would Sasuke want to hurt me?" He's bewildered. He's done nothing to Sasuke that Fugaku is aware of, but he needs to protect everyone in his family.

"I don't know." Fugaku suddenly has an epiphany, "Perhaps it is because Itachi spends more time with you, than he does with Sasuke." Sasuke loves Itachi and glares at even Mikoto when she separates them.

"What?" Shisui scoffs, "We work together." Shisui is fifteen and a chuunin like Itachi. They work well together and usually go on the same missions. "I don't take Itachi away from Sasuke. Hell, if anything, Sasuke is stealing Itachi all to himself lately."

Fugaku is stunned that Shisui has actually said that out loud and he stares at the teenager. Shisui's eyes widen and he claps a hand over his mouth.

"Excuse me?" Fugaku growls at Shisui and Shisui bows hastily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I shouldn't have said that. It's not true, I know, I'm just frustrated that Itachi's been taking less missions and I haven't seen him in a while and we're friends and-"

Fugaku snaps his fingers loudly and Shisui shuts up. Fugaku used to snap his fingers at his family members to get their attention instead of touching their shoulder or saying their name. This regression to his old habits shocks Fugaku and he reaches out and lifts Shisui out of his formal bow.

"I'm sorry," He bites his lower lip and Shisui is still staring at him with shocked eyes. "I know that you miss Itachi." There really isn't more that Fugaku can say. He knows that Shisui misses Itachi and he knows that Shisui is genuinely sorry that he said what he'd said.

Mikoto catches Fugaku's eyes at the doorway to the kitchen and he nods to her.

"I- I should go," Shisui excuses himself and hurries out the front door with one last backwards look over his shoulder. Fugaku watches him go and frowns. He hadn't meant to startle or scare Shisui.

"Fugaku?" Mikoto wraps her arms around Fugaku's waist and he covers her hands with his own.

"Shisui shouldn't be alone with Sasuke," He says to her. "Sasuke doesn't like him."

"Enough that you're trying to keep them apart?" Mikoto murmurs into his neck and he twists his head to look at her over his shoulder.

"Sasuke wasn't leaking killing intent, but he..." Fugaku's eyebrow furrows, "Sasuke didn't seem ready to attack Shisui, but I saw something I didn't like in Sasuke. It was dangerous."

Mikoto nods against his shoulder and tightened her hold on him. "Alright, I'll watch out for any encounters."

Fugaku loves Mikoto more than he could ever say out loud. She's been steady for almost the whole occurrence and he's tried as much as he could to be there for her. It's harder for him, he thinks. He's seen so much as the head of the police in Konoha and he's had to make himself believe that what he's seen will never, could never, happen to his family and now that it has, it's almost killing him. He has to go to work and see all the horrible things that he'd steeled himself against before and now it's all new and fresh and horrifying.

Sasuke comes in the back door with Inabi at his heels and Mikoto releases him from her hold. Apparently they've been standing in the hallway, staring at nothing, holding each other for a half hour.

"How was your training?" Fugaku asks Sasuke and Sasuke brushes a lock a damp hair from his face.

"Good." Sasuke smiles up at them and Fugaku smiles back. "Uncle Inabi said that Aunt Kichō will be getting out of the hospital soon." It's almost a question but at the same time it's not.

Fugaku decides to treat it as a question and nods, "Yes, she's been ordered to bed rest for one more day and then two days of physical therapy and then she'll be back in the compound."

Sasuke nods and heads up the stairs. Mikoto smiles politely at Inabi and excuses herself and follows Sasuke upstairs.

Inabi sighs and turns to Fugaku, "Well, I can say that your son is a genius."

"Really?" Fugaku murmurs, his attention only partially on his cousin. He knows that Sasuke is going to take a shower. It's not unusual to take a shower after hard training, but Sasuke has been taking two or three showers a day. Jogen has told Fugaku that Sasuke's need to take showers will wane, but Fugaku is still waiting for that.

"I only have to show him a technique once and whether he has his sharingan activated or not, he'll get it and understand it." Inabi rubs an eyebrow idly, "Kid is smarter than Itachi."

"I know," Fugaku murmurs again. Itachi was his pride and joy for so many years. He'd spend so many hours with Itachi, teaching and moulding him into a perfect ninja, and he's spent so many hours ignoring Sasuke. It hurts him to realise that he's been playing favourites to such an extent that Sasuke doesn't expect him or Itachi to teach him anything.

Sasuke had gone off with a stranger when he'd been promised training. It is heartbreaking to know that Sasuke had been so desperate for something new to occupy his mind with that he'd ignored his common sense and taken off without telling anyone.

Fugaku knows that Sasuke will never do that again because of what happened, but he wishes with all his heart that Sasuke had learned that lesson in a less violent and violated manner.

There's nothing that Fugaku can do now though but be there here his son no matter what.

He won't leave his family alone again. Never again.

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OMAKE By Romantiscue (user id: 1605665)

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Iori juggled her grocery bags awkwardly, trying to look inconspicuous and surely failing horribly. She wasn't ninja, after all.

She wasn't the only civilian stopping to stare today though, so she didn't feel too embarrassed. Her neighbour and his four-year-old son were both tilting their heads and squinting, as if trying to make sure they were really seeing what they thought they were.

About a dozen dressed-in-full-ninja-gear-snobby-scowls-in-place Uchiha were standing outside the Wonderwoman's Hair Salon's pink-tinted door, glaring at the air, the spectators, the sky, the ground, each other, the houses, their hands and the door they were queuing in front of.

Wonderwoman - aka Yazaki Umi - could be seen through a window, tsking over a customer (a glaring, sniffing, huffing, puffing ect. Uchiha). She was wielding a pair of scissors, a can of Silk Drop Hairspray (Makes Your Hair Soft And Shiny) and a comb over his head.

This continued, with almost rhythmical repetitiveness, until the line had dispersed and the Uchiha's (with Soft And Shiny, and much shorter, hair) had stalked off, smelling like rose-scented shampoo.

Iori studied the rainbow-coloured dusk sky, absently noticing all the flying pigs that seemed to have settled down on the rooftops. She promptly left her bags were they were and decided to go drinking. She had never done that before, and this seemed like an awfully good day to start, what with the approaching Apocalypse and all.

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