Mesmerizing
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I am very proud to present the finale chapter of Mesmerizing. When I first started this story, I was worried about how to make an office romance story long enough and well, the cast of Mesmerizing continued to surprised me. Thank you for all the support you've shown to this unconventional pairing. I hope you all enjoy the grand conclusion and for those of you interested, feel free to check out my other stories. Happy reading.
Chapter Notation: This takes place five years after the last one.
Chapter 21
"Mommy looked really pretty!" Nariko giggles happily.
Nariko was Madara's and Hinata's youngest daughter. They had two children so far with a third on the way. They're children were now four years old and did Madara mention that they were identical twins?
He smiles at her and kisses her temple as twins watch the old footage of their parents wedding. Nariko was only four, but Madara could already tell that she was going to be a romantic.
Natsuko nods as she watches the video with her sister. "It was nice of Auntie Kurenai to design, Mommy's dress." That was true.
Kurneai had designed the dress and what a dress it was. To this day, it still completely captivated him. Though Madara wouldn't lie, if pressed. He had enjoyed taking it off of Hinatra even more than seeing her in it.
"What are you three doing?" Hinata laughs softly as she waddles into the living room.
His wife was waddling for one very obvious reason. She was six months pregnant. Their third child would be born in a few months and this time, it was a boy. The thought filled him with great joy.
Madara smiles at his wife as he gestures for her to sit beside them. "Oh I was just showing the girls, our wedding." Hinata smiles at that thought and quickly strides over to sit by them.
"Oh good." She smiles. "Ah. I loved that dress and so did your father."
It was truly amazing how fast time could fly. There were still times when Hinata sincerely thought she had only married Madara yesterday, but she had never regretted her decision for even a moment. He might be a wolf, but he was her wolf.
Tens of thousands of people had shown up for the wedding. Hinata smiled as she and Madara stood next to each other on the end of the runway. Her soon to be husband held her hands tightly in his own, underneath the ethereal stage lighting. That could rival even the moonlight's in beauty.
"Do you Madara Uchiha, take Hinata Hyuga to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The Preacher smiled at them.
They were on a runway in Rome. The very same one where the fashion show had been hosted, but as her gorgeous silver heels touched the matching runway, Hinata found that fitting in a strange way. After all, Madara did own a modeling agency.
There were so many people watching them and the scent of all sorts of delicious food hung heavily in the air as the music played in the background. Everyone seemed to have left their worries behind for the day.
"I do." Madara smiled at her.
A fairytale. That's what this was, Hinata decided as she glances back at the enchanting, shimmering curtains behind them. Lavender and dark purple satin drapes did make quite the stunning impression.
"Do you take Madara Uchiha to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The Preacher continued on.
There was never a doubt in Hinata's mind as to what the answer to that question was. "I do." It probably seemed crazy, but she was marrying her former boss.
"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce thee man and wife, you may kiss the Bride." Madara certainly didn't need to be told twice.
He kissed her. Madara really kissed her. To say the least, no one would have to wonder how she had gotten pregnant in the first place, Hinata mused as she happily kissed him back.
The pictures of their passionate kiss would be featured on the cover of every newspaper, website, and tabloid tomorrow. Neither of them had cared though as she threw her bouquet of red and white roses right at Kurenai and Madara dutifully smacked Itachi right in the head with the garter belt.
"We'll have to be very careful not to get any cake on that lovely dress of yours." Madara had smiled at her as he tried to ignore the murderous glare from his half-brother and Kurenai's giggling. "That's truly one of a kind. Just like my Bride." Madara could be very sweet, when he wanted to be.
He was right though. The pristine snowy white gown had no sleeves and a daring v neckline. "Yes, it is." Hinata smiled as she notes that the fabric conformed to her every curve. It still managed to hang loosely off of her belly which would soon be swelling with evidence of her pregnancy. "I'm very lucky that Kurenai designed it for me." The only evidence at moment though were her strange food cravings and the silver belt slung around her waist.
Madara had given he the belt as a finishing touch. It was made of silver with pearls and white diamonds interwoven into it. Simply put it was stunning.
"Very lucky." He agreed as he helped her cut the cake an shoved a slice into her mouth. "As am I." Hinata giggled at that as she nodded and returned the favor.
It was nothing short of a miracle the cake didn't get stuck in her hair which was now brushed to the side in beautiful waves that reminded Hinata of a waterfall. Her long diamond earrings got a bit of frosting on them.
Fortunately, her hair piece remained intact. It was made out of the same material as her belt and stilled to look like a flower with a long veil being attached to it. She loved her veil.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of pictures, interviews, dancing, and eating. "Was this everything that you hoped for, My Sweet Bunny?" Though the nickname that Madara had given her made Hinata twitch slightly.
"I'm not a bunny!" Why did he always call her that, she wondered to herself.
Madara just chuckled as he scooped her up into his arms Bridal Style. "Yes, you are." He kissed her temple and proceeded to carry her off, much to everyone's amusement.
To say the least, the Honeymoon that followed was absolutely fantastic. It was too bad really, that they never left the Honeymoon Suite. Oh well. Hinata supposed that not even the glory of Rome could compete with the glory that was Madara during lovemaking…
Natsuko nods. "It was very pretty, Mommy." That it was.
Speaking of pretty, their daughters were the most beautiful children that Hinata had ever seen. Then again, she supposed that all parents felt that way about their children. It was only natural.
Natsuko was the eldest and her name meant Born in the Summer. After all, their children had been born in the summer and so her name made perfect sense in Hinata's mind.
"Yes, you should have seen what she wore underneath it." Madara chuckles.
To which, Hinata did the only thing that any woman in her position would have done. She swats her perverted husband upside the head. Honestly, did the man want to sleep on the couch tonight because that seemed what he was trying to accomplish by making such dirty jokes about her bridal lingerie in front of htier four year olds!
Nariko smiles at Hinata. "What did you wear underneath it?" Damn. Madara. He just had to go and make his deviant comments in front of their innocent daughters.
Nariko was the more bubbly of their children, even though her name meant Child of Thunder. She had been born just as a bad thunderstorm had struck outside of the hospital.
Despite the stormy weather that had heralded their birth, both of their children were adorable. That only made sense of course, because they were identical twins.
They both had Hinata's midnight blue tresses, but their manes were just as wild as their fathers. The girls had inherited creamy white skin tone, but they also had Madara's eyes.
Madara was also fond of saying that they had her cute little button nose and just like their mother, it allowed them to sniff out sweets with. Though Hinata would counter that by saying they had his ears. Madara and their children could hear anything that went on about them, especially if they weren't supposed to!
"Nevermind." Hinata shakes her head at her daughter. "You don't need to know about those clothes yet."
Natsuko giggles and whispers into her sister's ear. "Bridal Lingerie." Wait. What?! How did her daughter know about that?!
"Madara." She gives her husband a dirty look.
Madara quickly puts up his hands in surrender. "I swear that it wasn't me." He pauses an adds. "They probably just overheard Kurenai working on some designs." Oh. Yes, that was possible.
She and Kurenai were now designers. The ruby eyed woman did specialize in Bridal Lingerie and Hinata was quite fond of her own swimsuit line which was now all the rage in Europe!
Mikoto and Kaguya laugh as they watch Daisuke try to chase after his father. The toddler was just getting the hang of walking and Sasuke was clearly feeling rather smug about that.
The boy was only one, but he was already a handful. Of course, Kaguya knew that was only to be expected. His father was Sasuke and his mother was Temari. Enough said really.
"Watch!" The adorable blonde wobbles after Sasuke. "Watch! Catch! Catch!" Other than his hair and eye color, he looked just like the elder Uchiha.
Temari smiles smugly. "As you can see, he already has an impressive vocabulary." The woman was still a model and Sasuke now worked in the Research and Development Division of Tsukuyomi.
Yes, Madara's Modeling Agency apparently had an R&D Division. Kaguya had no idea what actually went on there. She figured it was best not to ask. In any case, her youngest son seemed to enjoy his job there and well that was all that really mattered.
"Of course, he does." Mikoto smiles proudly at the little rascal. "Have any of you heard from Mei and Izuna lately?"
Sasuke pauses as he considers the question. "Well, they've apparently got their hands full." He shakes his head and smirks. "Kosuke is going to be entering preschool soon and Hiashi is 'helping' them choose the right one."
Ah that was right. Kosuke was the three year old child of Mei and Izuna. Her first grandson and the boy was now at that age where he was getting into everything. In other words, it was absolutely amusing for her to watch as a grandmother. Though it must have been Hell for his poor parents.
Kosuke really was such a sweet boy. It was just that he was curious about everything. One minute he'd be standing right by his father or mother and the next he'd be in another room in the blink of an eye. The boy should try out for the Olympics in a few years. He'd make an excellent sprinter.
"Well I'm sure that will prove most entertaining." Mikoto laughs softly as she imagines the spectacle that was Hiashi getting involved in searching for a preschool.
Kaguya smirks and nods in agreement. "Oh yes, most interesting." She could just see it now. Hiashi must be close to pulling out his disturbingly perfect hair out…
"Aren't you overreacting?" Mei blinks at Hiashi as the families ride in the limo.
Hiashi shakes his head. "It's important to give children a good foundation to build off of." He smiles. "How do you think Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji turned out so well?"
Mei was about to say through dumb luck, but Izuna gives her a dirty look. "Alright, I guess it couldn't hurt to look at a few of them before deciding." Though she certainly wasn't going to scour the entire country.
"Where are we going?" Kosuke looks out the window excitedly.
He had Mei's green eyes and his father's raven black hair. In her mind, he was the most adorable child in the world, but Kosuke was also going to drive her to madness at this rate. He really did run off far too much.
Hiashi smiles at him. "We're going to find you a preschool." To which Kosuke sighs.
"I'd rather play with Mommy and Daddy." Luckily, Neji intervenes.
He smiles at the boy. "Don't worry." Hopefully, the other Hyuga man would know what to do about this situation because she most certainly didn't. "I'm sure that you will make lots of friends there and there will be plenty of toys for you to play with." Ah. Brilliant.
Neji had said the magic word. Toy. That was perhaps the fastest way to get any three year old's attention.
"Yes, lots of toys." Hanabi giggles.
The young woman was now a famous actress, much to her father's chagrin. Though if there was one thing that Mei had learned about her Sister-In-Law's, sister…it was that absolutely nobody could tell Hanabi Hyuga what to do.
Tenten laughs softly at that. "Well, I believe he's properly motivated now." That was most certainly true.
"That's my boy." Izuna chuckles as he kisses the top of Kosuke's head.
Mei smiles at that thought. Yes, Kosuke definitely was Izuna's boy. Like father, like son.
Kurenai looks at her husband as though he was out of his mind and well, she supposed he partially was. Itachi good reason to be though. Every once in awhile, she would worry about Zetsu too.
"Is he still locked up?" She raises an eyebrow at the sexy doctor.
The sexy doctor who was now her husband and happily helped her giving some rather thorough assessments of what he thought about her lingerie designs.
Itachi sighs as he makes sure Mirai and her younger sister, Kitasha were asleep. Kitasha was only two, but Kurenai didn't want her to know anything about Zetsu for as many years to come as possible.
Kitasha had her mother's beautiful red eyes and slightly wavy hair. Everything else though, well she was the spitting image of him. Her husband was justifiably overprotective considering what had happened only a few years ago.
"Yes, he's still locked up." Itachi nods at her.
Kurenai smiles and kisses his cheek. "Good." He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again. At least, they could all take some comfort in that fact. Even Onoki's granddaughter was recovering from the death of her grandfather. She was now quite the impressive policewoman…
He nods at her. "Very good." Itachi shakes his head. "What if there is another Zetsu out there?"
Kurenai sighs at that question and embraces her husband. "There will always be another Zetsu out there, but sooner later…they all get caught." Well at least that's what she told herself, anyway.
"Yes, you're right." Itachi smiles at her.
Yes, that was the smile that she had fallen in love. As long as Itachi was still smiling, she had absolute faith that everything would be alright.
Danzo watches Zetsu warily with Sai by his side. He would never go and visit this madman without his faithful bodyguard with him. Still, he couldn't resist provoking the fool.
"I'm going to be in here long after your dead." Zetsu's smile was almost rabid. "Are you truly still that scared of me?"
The elderly man snorts. No. That wasn't it. He just wanted to make sure the psychopath was still behind bars. That was all.
Sai chuckles at that and smiles with a fake cheerfulness that made even Danzo's blood run cold. "Why would he be afraid of a caged and muzzled dog?" Where had the boy learned how to smile like that? "It's not as though you can bite him from where you are."
That appears to ruffle Zetsu's feathers a bit. "Speaking of biting, where is my dear mother?" Ha. Danzo might not have any love for Kaguya, but he wouldn't subject her to this brute. Not in person anyway.
It couldn't be easy for the woman to realize that her eldest son was a killer. Though Danzo was more than aware that the woman still called him from time to time. She probably felt guilty about not noticing the warning signs earlier.
Danzo did as well to a certain extent. It had obviously been too late for Kaguya's other husbands by the time he was in the picture, but maybe he could have saved the old man and that model at least. It was never proven, but Danzo was certain Zetsu was behind her death.
Karui had been her name…
"I think that she's enjoying playing with her grandchildren at the moment." That was certainly never something Danzo though that he would say about Kaguya, but it was likely true.
Zetsu's lips pull back into something resembling a snarl. "How lovely." A rabid dog. "She's already replaced me." That's what he was.
"It's more likely than not, that you replaced yourself." Sai's smile never wavers. "Come, Danzo." He glances at him. "You don't wish to miss the office party, do you?"
Ah that was right. There was an office party today at Madara's Modeling Agency. This should be quite entertaining.
"You're right." He smiles. "I do not. Oh it's such a joy to be free and to be able to do whatever I like." Danzo looks over his shoulder at Zetsu mockingly. "Unlike some people."
Sai nods in agreement and with that, the two of them walk off together. It was the simple things in life that made it worth living. The simple things like taunting serial killers and getting away with it…
Several hours later, Hinata smiles as she and Madara arrive at the party. It was a large one. Her husband never did anything halfway. All the employees of the modeling agency were there and many had brought their families. (In the case of the Uchihas, their children were being watched by Hiashi, Mikoto, and Kaguya for the evening).
Hinata was both amused and a little terrified at that prospect. "The children will be fine." Madara shakes his head and chuckles. "Kaguya almost seems human these days." He smirks at her. "Almost."
That was high praise from the man who had once referred to his biological mother as a Black Widow. "I'm glad that you two are mending things." Hinata smiles as she watches Deidara, Sasori, Nagato, and Konan take the dance floor.
Hell, even Neji and Tenten were here. That was no small feat. Her cousin hated coming to this place because everyone wanted to recruit him to be a model. It was his hair, she supposed. Neji really did have such nice hair.
"May, I have this dance?" Madara offers her his arm and Hinata laughs softly as she takes it.
Madara could be a fanciful sort when he wanted to be. "Yes, this and every other dance." He did seem to enjoy play acting to a degree. Like in the old fashioned movies.
With that thought in mind, she wraps her arm around his neck and begins to sway to the music. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees that the other Uchiha Brothers had arrived with their wives.
Everything was perfect in that moment. "Mmm. You never really did tell me why you chose to distance yourself from your family back then." So naturally, Madara had throw a curveball at her.
"I love my family, but the concept of freedom was a mesmerizing one." There was no point in lying about that.
Madara chuckles and kisses her forehead as they dance together. "Mmm. I see and did you find this freedom you were seeking?" She knew that everyone must have thought she was crazy back then to distance herself from one of the wealthiest families in the country, but Hinata knew that she had made the right decision.
If she hadn't, she never would have met Madara. She probably never would have know the love she had for him and their daughters wouldn't have been born. All of that was too horrifying to contemplate for long.
A life without her husband and her children, well that would be a very drab life indeed. Something would have been missing. Something important and wonderful.
"I didn't." She smiles at him. "I found something better than the freedom I was looking for." Hinata caresses his cheek. "I found love."
He nods at that as he continues twirling her around the dance floor. She supposed it was only to be expected, really. Madara was a very successful CEO. At some point, he almost had to learn how to dance well to impress potential clients and investors at functions like these.
"Good." He kisses her. "And who knew that my next secretary would be my future wife?"
Hinata kisses back and laughs softly at that. "What was it?" He must have had women throwing themselves at him all the time. "Why me?" Madara had been surrounded by models. He could chosen to be with of them.
"Because they say that eyes are the windows to the soul." He caresses her cheek once again, almost reverently. "And yours were and are positively mesmerizing." As Hinata was saying, her husband could be very sweet when he wanted to be and that was just one of the many things she loved about him.