Sasuke's Secret
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: Unless otherwise indicated in a flashback, Hinata is now five months pregnant because some time has passed since the last chapter. Oh and do feel free to weigh in when you would like the twins to be born. I'm thinking next chapter or the chapter after that.
Chapter 34
"I look like a pufferfish." Hinata sulks as she looks in the mirror.
It was the early evening and the bluenette thought she was alone, but she was soon proven wrong. A pair of powerful arms wraps around her and she felt someone place a gentle kiss to the back of her neck. Itachi.
The bluenette had assumed that Sasuke would still be at the Academy and Itachi would be at the hospital. Though she really should have realized this would have happened. Her appointment was in an hour.
Itachi laughs softly as he holds her closely. "You look beautiful." He smiles at her in that serene way that the expectant mother had come to expect from him. "You always do."
"Maybe you look like a pufferfish, but you're carrying twins." She hears Sasuke's voice as her other lover walks into their bedroom. "So it's to be expected. Besides, you're our pufferfish and the sexiest pufferfish in all the land as Itachi's fairy tales would say."
Hinata shakes her head at that. "I don't know whether to find that sweet or if I should smack you." Sasuke was more prone to casual teasing than Itachi was.
The new Uchiha Matriarch pawned this off to the age difference though. Itachi had five years on them and in the ninja world that could make a very big difference. Still, it was something of a relief to see Sasuke make jokes. He really was trying his best to move on from the horrors of his past.
"At the rate our twins are going, she could always just have them kick you for her." Itachi smirks. "They've been kicking quite a bit. I think they're excited for the appointment." Yes, they had been kicking a lot.
Sasuke smirks at that. "Well that's true." Her husbands really were so proud of the twins. "You ready to go, Hinata?" He looks at her with concern.
In particular, they each seemed to find her stomach fascinating. Itachi enjoyed feeling the kicks. Sasuke found every opportunity that he could to touch her stomach and well Itachi was still reading fairytales.
She suspected the last part was in response to Itachi's own dreadfully brief childhood. In some ways, his had been cut even more short than Sasuke's had and that was certainly saying something. It still amazed her that Itachi was so willing to have a family, despite everything he had been through.
"Sasuke, my appointment isn't for another hour." Hinata laughs.
Sasuke nods at that, but the bluenette already knew what was about to happen. Her husbands were going to drag her to the hospital early. Itachi might be better at hiding it, but she could tell her younger lover wasn't the only one who was eager for this appointment.
Today was the day that they were likely going to find out the gender or genders of the twins. They both claimed not to have a preference, but Hinata didn't really believe that. Deep down, most people did.
Itachi shakes his head as he caresses her cheek adoringly. "I believe that my foolish little brother is hoping that we'll be able to get in early." Yeah. That's what Hinata thought as well.
"It never hurts." Sasuke shrugs, feigning innocence. "Better too early than too late."
He wasn't nearly as good at acting as Itachi was though. Sasuke just had a more honest face, she supposed. That or his elder brother understandably had far more practice hiding his feelings than Sasuke did. That thought made her wince.
"Are you alright, Hinata?" Itachi looks at her with anxious eyes.
Damn it. He must have seen her wince. "Yes, I'm fine. Just some bad memories." She smiles at them both. "We should get going. It's never a good idea to keep someone like Tsunade waiting."
The Uchiha Brothers couldn't argue with her logic and thus the entire family soon heads off to the hospital. Hinata felt nervous and excited. So nervous and excited in fact, she almost forgot that she now resembled a small beluga whale.
Meanwhile Hiashi sighs as he prepares to head for dinner. He knew that Hinata would be finding out the gender of her children shortly and honestly, he didn't know how to feel about that.
"You shouldn't let such things trouble you." Rei smiles at him.
Normally, such an occasion would be a happy one. Though his relationship with Hinata was strained at best. He had managed to salvage something. That was mostly because of Sasuke's meddling though.
"What are you doing here?" Itachi's eyes narrowed the moment Hiashi set foot into their house.
The District had been rebuilt, but it wasn't hard to tell which house they were living in. It was the only one with lights on, after all. The process of elimination could be a rather useful tools at times like these.
In hindsight, he should have expected that. The fact that the brothers hadn't attacked him at the wedding was frankly a miracle, but now he was in their private home. It was only natural that they would be less than pleased to see him.
Hiashi sighed as he braced himself for the inevitable battle that was to come. "I came to speak with my daughter." He supposed that they would have been rather poor husbands, if they weren't overprotective at a time like this.
"I didn't expect you to actually take my words to heart." Sasuke eyed him with caution as he looked at Hinata. "Well it's up to you, My Love."
"Or my slap." Itachi glared at the Hyuga Patriarch.
Well he had deserved that. Unfortunately, Hiashi knew that what he was about to do was very foolish. The wisest course of action would have been to ignore their existence, but he just couldn't quite bring himself to do that.
Whatever her decisions, Hinata was still his daughter. That bond refused to be severed so easily. No matter who she had chosen for her lovers.
His eyes narrowed at Itachi. "Yes, I remember that slap." It still burned him that the eldest Uchiha would treat him with such disrespect.
Hinata must have sensed the impending bloodbath because his daughter intervened. "Itachi, Sasuke, I'd like to speak with him." The bluenette sighed as she let out a rather shaky breath. "If possible, I would like for our children to know their grandfather."
Understandably, Sasuke and Itachi looked less than thrilled by Hinata's answer. Though neither of them, actively protested. While he didn't approve of their relationship, Hiashi was still oddly pleased by the fact that Hinata obviously had them wrapped around her fingers.
"Alright." Sasuke kissed her cheek.
Itachi nodded as he did the same. "Call us, if you need us. We won't let him upset you." He promised as he walked off with Sasuke.
The conversation had been awkward to say the least. For now, Hinata was still barred from the Hyuga Clan Grounds. Though their relationship was slowly improving and Hiashi knew that Hanabi was very happy about that.
"Rei, I say this with all due respect, I will decide does and doesn't trouble me." The woman was such a power climber, but she had done right by the Clan.
It was her quick thinking that had saved their honor and caused Hiashi's heart to break. He didn't know whether to be grateful or if he wanted to ring her pretty little neck in all honesty.
That was a disturbing though really. Hiashi Hyuga was a man who was very much used to being in control of his emotions and ever since Hinata had taken the Uchiha Brothers as her lovers, that hadn't been the case. It was maddening!
A few minutes later, Itachi smiles as they arrive in Tsunade's Office. The busty blonde was in charge of Hinata's prenatal care. Mostly because the brothers wouldn't trust anyone else, save for Sakura with their wife's pregnancy.
"How are you feeling, today?" Tsunade smiles at the bluenette encouragingly.
Hinata smiles back. Truly, motherhood looked rather serene on the young woman. "Much better. No more Morning Sickness." Well unless the bluenette didn't have her precious cinnamon rolls. (When that happened, serenity went out the window faster than he could throw a kunai)!
The blonde laughs softly at that as she sets takes Hinata's vitals. After that, she swiftly sets up the ultrasound. Itachi notes that she was warming up the gel as well. Which was good. He had heard that stuff could be almost unbearably cold otherwise!
"Excellent." Tsunade nods. "Have they been kicking? It's still a bit early yet." She smiles at their wife reassuringly. Obviously trying to soothe any anxieties that the anxious parents might have.
Sasuke smirks at the question. Itachi knew that his brother was rather pleased with himself. "Oh yes. They've been kicking." Whether he was a proud father or uncle didn't matter in a way. "A lot." Their family was being restored and that obviously made his brother incredibly smug.
Truthfully, it was all rather adorable. It was as if Sasuke had been transformed into a child again, himself. The child that he had never been allowed to be for more than few painfully short years.
"Ah well that's good." Tsunade glances at the machine. "Did the three of you wish to know their genders or would you prefer to be surprised?"
Hinata giggles at that question. "We would like to know." The expectant mother's eyes were sparkling with anticipation and happiness. "It's going to drive us crazy, otherwise."
That was true. Itachi might not have a strong preference one way or another, but it would be nice to know what to address children by. Was Hinata carrying boys, girls, or perhaps fraternal twins? Right now, they didn't know.
Tsunade laughs softly at that as she turns her attention to the screen. "I understand." Her keen eyes examining it closely. "Well lets see what you're having then."
Itachi nods as he watches the medic work her magic. He was also a medic as well, of course. Though Itachi had never done this.
Never before had he been put in a position to inform someone what the gender of their child (or children) was going to be. It was quite the awesome responsibility to say the least.
"Well they are quite active." Tsunade shakes her head in amusement. "I have to say that much. They're both squirming around."
Itachi chuckles as a thought occurs to him. "Perhaps, they know what is coming and they're shy." He glances at Sasuke. "Meaning they're probably yours as they're behaving a bit foolishly. We're going to find out anyway, but they insist on making things difficult."
"I'm the one who makes things difficult?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow incredulously.
Itachi nods as he pokes Sasuke's forehead. "That's right. You did jump to conclusion and run off for several months." He was only teasing Sasuke, but it was still true.
Sasuke sighs and kisses Hinata's forehead as he glares at Itachi. "True, but I'm never making that mistake again." He promises her.
Itachi smiles at that. He knew that his brother truly did love Hinata and so did he. He doubted there was another woman out there who could have ever handled both of them.
One of them would have been difficult enough, but both of them was seemingly impossible. And yet, Hinata did it with ease.
He could only hope that she would be the same with the twins. "I know." Though judging by that smile, there was nothing for him to worry about.
Hinata would make a wonderful mother. He just hoped that they would make equally wonderful fathers. Sasuke was certainly eager, but Itachi was not without his anxieties.
He didn't deserve this. Not after everything that he had done. "Alright. I think that I've got a good shot." But like Hell was he ever going to give any of them up. "They do love to squirm." This time, Itachi wasn't letting his family go. Not now, not ever. "You're the proud parents of two beautiful baby girls."
Thud! Suddenly two Uchiha Brothers fell over in shock. They were having daughters and most likely identical twin daughters at that!
"Two Uchiha Princesses." Hinata giggles. "Well that does sound nice."
Elsewhere Kiba couldn't lie, he was definitely nervous. Nervous for Hinata and well for the village in general. She was now about halfway through her pregnancy and well, one way or another that was going to shake the very foundations of the Leaf.
"Kiba, I think you've destroyed all the training posts." Shino raises an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
Kurenai knew though and the Inuzuka knew that she knew. That only made sense though. She was a mother and his teammate had never really been the most social of people. He might not have noticed the implications.
"He's worried about Hinata." The Genjutsu Mistress sighs. "Kiba, don't be." She smiles at her most boisterous student. "Itachi and Sasuke love her. That much is obvious. Everything will be fine."
Kiba wasn't so sure though. Even if Sasuke and Itachi had changed, the fact of the matter was a woman being married to two men was pretty damn scandalous in this village and now, she was pregnant!
Those kids were likely going to have the Sharingan, Byakugan, or maybe a new bloodline. Which would have been thrilling and terrifying enough to begin with, but their father was either Itachi or Sasuke Uchiha. So that only made it worse.
"I'm not worried about them doing anything to her or the kids." He sighs. Of course, those overachieving bastards would give Hinata two bundles of joy because one wasn't enough. "More like what they'll do, if the rest of the village doesn't play nicely with the twins."
Kurenai and Shino both immediately wince at that. Yeah. Now, they were getting Kiba's point.
There was only one question left to answer. What the Hell were they going to do about it? Gods and Goddesses help anyone, if someone gave those kids a dirty look or something.
"That's a fair point." Shino sighs as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I hadn't considered that before."
Their Sensei sighs and nods. "I'll have to talk to them." Yeah. Maybe, that'd be a good idea. "I think they're going to need more than the sexy lingerie gift to get through all this."
She was a mom. Kurenai understood these sorts of things. Wait. What?! What had that been about sexy lingerie?!
"Sexy lingerie?!" Kiba gapes at his Sensei.
Shino shakes his head though. Apparently, he didn't see anything strange about the woman's announcement. That surely must have been the case because he quickly covers his teammate's mouth.
"That would likely be a very good idea." Shino nods approvingly. "You're a parent yourself. I'm sure that they'll find your perspective invaluable."
The canine lover couldn't believe this! Their Sensei had given their sweet and innocent teammate lingerie while she was pregnant! He fails! That was just too bizarre.
"Alright. I'll speak to them soon the matter." Kurenai smiles sweetly. "If memory serves, I believe they had a doctor's appointment today. So it will have to wait until tomorrow."
Back in Tsunade's Office, Sasuke manages to get off the floor. He wasn't sure why he had fallen over. In retrospect, there were really only three possibilities. Two girls, two boys, or one of each.
It was just that hearing it out loud made it more real in a way that it hadn't before. Sasuke had known that Hinata was pregnant, but he hadn't really known it. Now that the children had a gender, that made it seem more real.
"And they're both developing normally." Tsunade smiles at them as Itachi slowly rises to his feet. "Though with twins it's common to have earlier deliveries than expected. So really, during your eighth month of pregnancy, I wouldn't make any plans." The blonde pauses and adds. "Not that I would advise any woman that far along to do so, but especially woman carrying twins."
Sasuke nods dumbly as he caresses Hinata's cheek. "We understand." He smiles at their wife.
She might not be particularly happy about looking like a "pufferfish," but that was just another sign that they were really going to have a family. Whether the children belonged to Itachi or Sasuke in a way was irrelevant. They were his family.
It was selfish of him to hope that the twins were his, but Sasuke knew that he would cope somehow…if they weren't. After all, Itachi deserved a chance at fatherhood as well and it was likely that Hinata would be willing to humor them with a second pregnancy.
"That's wonderful news." Itachi smiles as he kisses the top of Hinata's head. "We should probably get you home. You need your rest."
That was true. Now, Sasuke was even more relieved about the Maternity Leave. He didn't want to risk letting Hinata out of his sight anymore. Not when she was carrying the future of their Clan and more importantly, their family.
"I'm pregnant." Hinata laughs softly as Itachi scoops her into his arms. "Not sick. Tsunade, will you please explain that to them?"
The blonde woman shakes her head in amusement. There would be absolutely no reasoning with those two. She just knew it.
Of course, that was the way of things with first time fathers in general, but the Uchiha Brothers were rather special in this category. They had both lost so much. It was only to be expected that the two of them would fuss worse than mother hens.
"I can try." She smiles softly. "But we both know that they won't listen."
She shakes her head again as she places something in Sasuke's hands. The Uchiha looks down at it quizzically and Tsunade laughs once again.
"Prenatal vitamins." It was probably best to explain what she'd given him. "I imagine that she's running low on those by now."
Sasuke nods as he pockets the bottle. "You're right. I was going to pick some up after the appointment, but thanks." Pigs must be flying, Tsunade muses.
Sasuke Uchiha had just said thank you and Hinata of all people was his wife. Not only that. She was also Itachi's wife as well and carrying their children.
Idly, she wonders which brother had fathered the twins. Did they even know? Would such a thing matter to them?
Tsunade quickly dismisses those thoughts though. "You should take her home and celebrate." It didn't matter.
The Uchiha Brothers were preparing for fatherhood (or to become an uncle). The Leaf was never going to be the same. She knew that much for a fact.
"We will." Sasuke smirks as the three of them Flicker off.
Ten minutes later, Hinata was once again sitting in Sasuke's arms as Itachi was writing a letter. A letter to her father. To inform him about the twins.
"Itachi, are you sure that you can write a civil letter?" Hinata glance at him nervously as she snuggles against Sasuke.
She knew that Itachi likely had a better chance of doing so than Sasuke. Still, that wasn't exactly saying much. The very fact that her younger lover hadn't punched Hiashi during his conversation with him before the wedding was nothing, short of a miracle.
Hinata didn't feel like pushing her luck further. "Better him than me." And Sasuke's words just confirmed it.
Itachi smiles at her and caresses her cheek adoringly. "I can manage." He then frowns and sighs. "I might not like your father, but I know that this is important to you. So it's important to me too."
Dear Hiashi Hyuga,
I am writing to inform you that it has been confirmed Hinata is carrying two healthy twins and they are both girls. Whether you wish to see them or not after they are born, that is entirely up to you. Though I will not tolerate anyone upsetting my wife and children. Neither will Sasuke. Please respond at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely, Itachi Uchiha.
Sasuke rolls his eyes at the Dear part. "You couldn't address him as anything else?" There were a lot of things that he wanted to call the Hyuga Patriarch, but Dear certainly wasn't one of them.
"It's tradition." Itachi shrugs.
Hinata shakes her head. "Well I'm glad that you kept it mostly civil." Sasuke couldn't help, but smirk at that.
Their wife was an amazing woman. In addition to being beautiful and kind, Hinata was also highly intelligent. She could read between the lines. Itachi had threatened Hiashi Hyuga, but it seemed for the moment…the bluenette was willing to overlook that.
"Here we go." Itachi smiles as he attaches the scroll to a messenger hawk's feet. "Deliver this to Hiashi Hyuga and there will be a tasty treat in it for you, when you get back." The elder Uchiha Brother smirks as the bird flies off with the utmost haste!
"For you, My Love…I'm willing to do anything." Itachi smiles as he kisses her.
Sasuke shakes his head as Hinata kisses back. "You're such a suckup." Who would have ever imagined that his brother would be so easily whipped?
Not that Sasuke was in a position to really judge him though. If anything, he might actually be worse than Itachi. Still, Itachi was Itachi. It was rather surreal to see him behaving in this way.
"Of course." Itachi smiles at Sasuke smugly. "I'm going to suck up to the woman that we love because sometimes she returns the favor."
Sasuke swats him for that. "Pervert." Honestly, Itachi might actually be more of a deviant than even him!
Hinata laughs as she watches them and smiles down at her now rounded stomach. She pats it lightly and shakes her head at their antics. Her life had definitely taken some unexpected turns recently, but she wouldn't have it anyway.
"Those men are your fathers and they can be very silly at times, but we love them anyway." She smiles as rubs her belly more. "Because they love us and I'll do my best to ensure they don't smother the two of you too much. And hopefully, we'll finally manage to choose your names."
The baby book had so many names in it, that at times Hinata doubted they'd ever be able to pick just two. They had whittled it down to about two hundred though. She shakes her head at the thought.
Perhaps, they'd be ready by the time the twins were born. Well at least that's what Hinata was hoping. After all, as much as she liked the nickname Uchiha Princesses, the twins did need official names! (No matter what her husband's might say)!