Chapter 21

132 lbs

That's the number the scale showed when Sasuke stood on the dreaded little bit plastic, his hands resting worriedly over the bulge on his stomach. It felt bigger but he couldn't decide on whether it had grown or not. He stepped off the scale knowing he was 12 pound more than his normal weight.

It was upsetting, knowing those three last weeks of almost no food had been useless. How come he didn't lose the weight? He hardly ate anything. But then again thinking about it, he hadn't done much to lose it either. Maybe he had to exorcise more?

He dragged his feet out the bathroom and to the closet to look for a new set of clothes, determined he had to start a new routine. He had to work hard if he wanted Naruto to be happy again. He searched long until finding his training attire at the bottom of the closet. It had definitely been a while since he'd hit the training dojo.

He changed clothes, got a bottle of water from the fridge and set out to the dojo. His sons were away, Shunsuke with his girlfriend and Kei over at Sakura's so he had plenty of time to spare alone.

A few hours into his training the sweat rolled off his body and his breath was heavy. He worked his muscles to max, ignoring the burning protest as he pushed his body further. He couldn't let his body take the better of him. He had to burn the extra pounds he'd gained. It was his own fault he had allowed his body to gain the weight so now it was up to him to lose it.

Focusing hard on the training he eventually lost track of time and it wasn't until one of his son's entered the dojo that he realized his body was completely worn out.

Shunsuke had come home around dinner time expecting there to be food on the table however he had only been met by an empty house and a dark kitchen. He had waited a two hours before trying to call his mom and when he didn't get through he had started searching for him. The short search had eventually led him to the family dojo where the light was lit, strange enough. Nowadays it was mostly him and his dad whom used it. But sure enough his mom was there.

"I'm back." Shunsuke informed earning Sasuke's attention.

"Ah, welcome home." Sasuke said straining a smile. "How was your day?"

"It was okay." Shunsuke shrugged. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Nah it's okay." Sasuke said, taking a short break to drink some water. "Is there something you wanted?"

"I was just wondering about dinner." Shunsuke said feeling hesitant about the question.

"What's the time?" Sasuke questioned realizing he had forgotten all about time. He had been so engrossed with working out that time hadn't really mattered.

"It's a little over eight now." Shunsuke said feeling his stomach churn from hunger.

"Oh," Sasuke responded shocked how late it really was. The clock had been two in the afternoon when he had entered the dojo. That means he had spent six hours training nonstop. "I must've lost track of time." Sasuke said and picked a towel off the towel rack to wipe at his sweat. "I'll get to it then."

Together they left the dojo and went back to the house. "You know if your brother is home yet?" Sasuke asked but received a no as response.

"Guess that means it's just you and me then." Sasuke said. "I'm just gonna go take a quick shower. I'll start with the food right after okay." He showered quickly and got dressed then he went to the kitchen to start on dinner. Feeling tired from the workout he didn't really feel like cooking anything so he settled on making pasta with chicken. It was quick and easily done.

He called Shunsuke to the kitchen and then they sat down to eat. Shunsuke quickly helped himself to a full plate of food while Sasuke put the tiniest piece of chicken and a small amount of pasta on his. He tried to cover up his lack of eating by nibbling on the food while distracting Shunsuke by exchanging small talk while they ate, knowing his son couldn't find out about his eating habits. What if he told Naruto? That would definitely ruin them.

The dinner went smoothly, Shunsuke remained clueless throughout the meal and Sasuke was satisfied. Or that was what Sasuke thought until Shunsuke's brow turned into a frown and he suddenly spoke up, surprising Sasuke.

"Haha, why aren't you eating?"

Sasuke frowned as he glanced down on his plate where he had mostly pushed the food around. "What are you talking about?" He chuckled, giving his son a confused look. "I'm eating aren't I?" He said and pierced a piece of pasta onto his fork and put it in his mouth, reluctantly chewing it.

"Your plate is still full." Shunsuke stated his finger pointing at the black porcelain.

"Oh, well I'm not that hungry I guess." Sasuke replied quickly, dismissing his son's concerns with a weak smile on his lips. "I'm all beat from training so." He wandered off and put his fork down, finished.

"But this isn't the first time." Shunsuke pressed his frown deepening, wondering why his mom was lying to him. "I don't think dad's noticed yet but you never eat nowadays."

Sasuke's smile fell as he silently cursed his son for being so attentive. It was obviously a trait Shunsuke had inherited from him. "No I don't." Sasuke defended himself.

"No you just push it around." Shunsuke continued out of worry but the persistence only caused Sasuke to get annoyed.

"You're wrong Shunsuke." Sasuke said and stood from his seat to clear the table.

"Then eat what's on your plate." Shunsuke challenged his mom, confused to why his mom was avoiding him.

"That's silly. I don't have to do that." Sasuke frowned and met Shunsuke's challenging eyes.

"I'm gonna tell dad if you don't." Shunsuke threatened of which Sasuke only responded with a glare.

"You're imagining things Shunsuke. Stop it immediately."

"If I'm just imagining eat it then."

Snapping, Sasuke growled and sat back down in his seat. "Okay." He threw down the food, hardly chewing before swallowing. He could feel his stomach react to the food, not used to handle that amount anymore and so by the time he was finished he felt nauseous. "There." He said his irritation clear as a day as he spoke. "Now go to your room."

Shunsuke snorted as he stood from his seat. "Fine!" He said both annoyed and confused to why his mom was so angry. He only cared about his mom so of course he'd be worried about him. "Next time I won't care about it." He silently growled before leaving the room.

Damn, Sasuke thought feeling his hormones take the better of him as his eyes became teary. He knew his son only meant well but what his son didn't know was that Sasuke was doing it for them.

He started cleaning off the table to put his mind on other things but was stopped by the sudden need to vomit. The food he had forced himself to eat pushed to come out as he ran to the closest bathroom and emptied his stomach's content. Once he stopped he gasped for breath as his head came to rest against his arm.

The foul smell of acid penetrated his nose when he stood on shaky legs. He flushed the toilet and washed his face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, surprised by the man that stared back at him. His skin was ash grey and his eyes were red.

He rinsed his mouth a last time and then left the room to finish with the dishes. It took some time but eventually the kitchen was clean. Sasuke turned the lights off as he left the room, deciding he'd head to bed earlier since he was so tired and his body sore from the intense training from earlier.

He stopped by his older son's room and said a quick good night, earning a gruff as reply. "Also Shunsuke, it would be great if you could keep an eye out for your brother. If he's not back by 10 let me know?" Sasuke added before leaving and going to his own bedroom.

He fell down on the bed with a loud thud. He sniffed the sheets enjoying how the strong scent of Naruto infiltrated his nostrils. Feeling a tinge in his heart he devoted a thought to Naruto and what he was doing, whether he missed him as much as Sasuke did or not. He shifted into fetal position swallowed back the growing lump in his throat. I miss him, he thought and grasped at the sheets under him. Come back soon.