◊ (Uchihas (Part 7): Uchiha Children) ◊
∆ (Home) ∆ - ¤ (1 Month Later - July -) ¤ - VP: Sakura
A/N: I'm going to be going into detail about the names and pronunciations as well as the meanings of the names but for reading's sake here are the names of the children. Kane is prounounced Ka-neh. Kimiko is Key-me-ko. Hiroka, if you don't know is, He-row-ka. Akira, Kiba's daughter's name is Ah-key-ra. Some of these I though and hoped you get if you have any questions on names, write it in a review. I'll reply to it for you. The names get easier/harder from here.
I am now 3 months pregnant; starting my fourth, and everything is going on smoothly. I feel really happy, though most people are worrying, especially Sasuke. When he is home that is. L He's not home much. Then again, none of the boys really are. Shikamaru and Ino are at the office all day. Hinata is with Naruto in his office. Tenten and Neji are starting to stay at the complex more often, leaving me here, by myself with my two kids, all day.
I sighed; I missed Sasuke. I know I shouldn't, but I knew I was crying. "Mommy, don't cry? What's wrong?" My son said. He was there for me, yes. However, he wasn't my husband, obviously so.
"Your dad's away, again." I said.
"He'll be back. He always does." I laughed, harshly. Not like I normally do at all. He had a positive note on everything, he wouldn't let me be down.
"I know he'll return but I just miss him. I can't help it."
"Oh. Well you have us." He said sitting beside me and looked at his baby sister, Hotaru. "We're not going to leave, and we have my new brothers or sisters." He said.
"Yeah, but your dad and I have always been with each other, I just miss him." I smiled, but I knew it was fake while he didn't. "I'll cheer up for you okay?"
"Alright mommy." He snuggled closer to me. "Daddy should stay with us too. The others guys say that their parents are super busy and barely have time for them. Daddy is, but you're here for me."
"Yeah, I am, aren't I?" He nodded.
"You can't leave me. You have to stay with me, forever. Okay?"
"Naw. In 12 years you'll be off on your own, probably way before that."
"None uh. You love me too much." I laughed, and really smiled.
"Yeah, I'll be there for you whenever you need me." He hugged me, gently.
"Good. But um… can I have some food?" He said.
"Sure." I stood up, carrying Hotaru and went to the kitchen. I made his favorite foods and we sat there as he talked, in lesser words than I would, but as many as he could, about what he wanted to do.
"I want to say with my family. Like daddy did." I frowned.
"He'll come back to us. You said so."
"Yeah, but he use to be here all the time."
"He's a ninja, he can't always be here. You know that right?" I asked. I rested Hotaru on my lap and brought my hand to his face. He was like Sasuke, except he had his sister and I as well as his friends and 'aunts' and 'uncles' to be there. Sasuke's dad always ignored him too.
"I need to do something. I'll be right back." He nodded.
I locked myself in my room, put Hotaru in her crib and cried on my bed into my pillow. I heard a large banging on the door. "Sakura, open up." Sasuke said in an irritated voice. I threw a kunai at the door and it unlocked it. Tenten had taught me that trick. It took a while to master it. He sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry Sakura."
"Sasuke?"
"Yoshi told me everything. I'm sorry." He said. I hugged him, I don't know why but I could see fear in his eyes.
"You weren't afraid I'd leave you, were you?" I asked him. He looked into my eyes.
"Worried yes, not afraid. You've been very upset lately." I pouted. "I've pretty much been gone and I guess… I'm lost in what I'm supposed to do." He returned to his normal position.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"I want to be with you and Yoshi and the rest of the family but I also have to be a ninja to provide for this family." I sighed, nodding.
"I understand." I said. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm happy with it. I just understand; it's necessary. We need an income until I can go to work then we both can work a fair amount of hours, and the rest of the time, be here for the family."
"I can't do that to you. You have already done too much."
"No, I've done barely anything since I was 16. Since we got married. I want to help all those who need me at the hospital. I can't though. One, my body can't handle that and I… we have a family that can't be forgotten about."
He looked down at his hands. "I never thought having a family would be this hard, or complicated." He said. "No, yes I did. We should have seen it coming. Your parents were never home, Hinata's father didn't spend time with her. Everyone else also didn't see there parents either. I know I didn't. My mom gave up on being a ninja to raise my brother and me. I just don't know what to do Sakura."
"I do. I'm going to do just what I said. I'm going to work from 9pm and 4am weekdays while you can work normal ninja hours of 6-2 and take care of them afterward. That way we have between 2 to 9 to be together with them, they'll also always have one of us or the other to go to."
"And weekends, minus if I have a mission." He added.
"Yeah, but it will still work."
"I can't believe you want to do that to yourself." I giggled.
"I'd do anything for you Sasuke, and our family is no different. I'd do anything to make sure they don't grow with having their family around. I know that they won't have both of us around, but they will when they need us most, after school for a while."
"But that won't happen for a while, because you're still on pregnant leave for a while."
"A long while, but then Tsunade said that I couldn't return even then. Another few months afterward, because I have to gain back chakra, but that time is still bringing in money, so it's fine." He nodded.
"I love you so much Sakura." He said. "You're definitely an amazing person."
"Thank you." I said. "It is going to be tough, but we can handle it. Anything for them to be able to have us around when they need us."
The door opened to see our son Yoshi at the door. "Mommy, are you alright?" He asked running up to me. I handed Hotaru to Sasuke. I picked him up, placing him on the bed next to us.
"Of course we are. I was just super tired and fell asleep. Sorry I worried you." I said happily.
"You're happy, yeah! You were just tired!" I nodded, giggling. I'd do anything for him, anything at all. "Daddy back too."
"I know. So what do you want to do?" I asked, carefully picking him up and holding him as I walked down the stairs.
"I want you to teach me ninja stuff." I looked at Sasuke.
"Mommy can't do that right now, but she'll come and watch while I teach you some stuff."
"Really, you're going to teach me something?' He asked excitedly. Now that I think about it, this is exactly how Sasuke was when he was really young, excited about everything, cheerful.
"Of course I will. Whenever you want." Sasuke said placing his hand on his son's head.
"Yeah! Did you hear that mommy?" I nodded smiling. Sasuke looked at me. He seemed happy to be able to do things with his son, what father didn't want his child to be happy and cheerful. It wasn't Sasuke or I. Maybe Shikamaru wanted his family to be lazy but I'm sure a family of lazy people would get annoying. Especially if Ino was lazy. If she was, he'd die. He'd never feed himself and die.
"I sure did. Let's go." I set him down as I held our daughter as I listened to Yoshi talk happily. I giggled, it's almost funny to imagine the Sasuke that I've known to be like, almost beyond funny.
We arrived at a clearing near the house, one that none of the others used for training. "So what did you want to learn?" Sasuke asked his son.
"I don't know anything." He said.
"Something would be helpful Sasuke. Give him options, he's not the world's top prodigy at 4. Katon? Fire Jutsus?"
"Sasuke!" I scolded. I sighed, he didn't even know what chakra was. "Start with giving him a kunai or shuriken, set up some practice targets."
"Fine." He said. He disappeared to get the targets and returned with them, as well as a box. "I forgot to give this to you at your last birthday with all the craziness that was going on, so here you go." He said bending down and handing him the small wooden box. I smiled. I remember when I picked that up.
Ж (Flashback) Ж
"What do you get for a four year old?" Sasuke asked me.
"I'm not sure. It's our first child, we have no prior knowledge. Let's go into a store." So we walked into the first store we saw, which wasn't smart seeing as it was a ninja supply store.
"What do you get for a four year old child?" I asked the man.
"Is he going to be starting at an academy soon?"
"A year maybe?" I said. That's what Sasuke and I decided.
"Do you plan on teaching him basics before then?" Sasuke nodded. "Then I recommend this." He set a box on the counter. Most parents get this for their children when they're young. Usually the recomment it for 6 years, but you seem to be needing it for someone now."
"Not really but I'm sure that when we do it will be useful." Sasuke answered.
"We should get it. It's a starter kit. It's a great gift." I told Sasuke happily. He shrugged and gave the man the money, and took the box.
"What else?" I asked.
"I don't know. Let's go ask someone else."
Ж (Flashback Over) Ж
He sat down and opened the box, his eyes were wide. "It's a kunai."
"Yeah, and here." Sasuke handed his son a small bag. "I bought a few more later when Sakura was gone, because eventually you'd need them. Be careful with them. There are, in there, both Shuriken and Kunai.
I smiled. I didn't mind Sasuke buying things when I wasn't there. Shopping wasn't really his thing, and if it was something he was buying it was typically kunai and shuriken. Always kunai and shuriken. I do all the shopping for everything else.
I watched as Sasuke carefully taught his son how to throw the kunai, how to hold it and such things. I loved watching our first son be with Sasuke. Sasuke was happy and proud of his son's very impressive improvement. Yoshi adored being able to do things with Sasuke, I had a feeling that Sasuke and Yoshi missed being with each other and me as much as I missed being with both of them.
Ino walked into the forest, carrying Kane in her arms as Shika walked beside her. Shikamaru most likely up in some tree or forest somewhere staring at clouds. Kane was definitely more like Shikamaru than he was like Ino. Ino didn't like that. All she wanted to do is yell at her poor 1-month-old child for not doing anything, yet again, what baby did, beside Ramen.
"Sasuke, I'm going to go visit some people. Alright?" I asked.
"Sure." He said. I walked off with Hotaru and into the center of our homeland, Konoha.
"Sakura-san. It is nice seeing you. I am sorry that I was unable to talk to you 2 weeks ago when everyone got together but I was on a mission." Lee said bowing.
"Hi Lee, nice to see you again too. I'd hug you but I'm holding my daughter and pregnant at the moment which doesn't make for easy hugs but in a bunch of months I'll make sure to say hi."
"Of course Sakura-san. How is your family as well as yourself doing?" Lee asked.
"Well I was upset earlier since Sasuke-kun hasn't been around much lately. He's always been gone and it upset me that he wasn't spending time with me."
"That's horrible."
"Sorry but I'm not done. But he came back, just like Yoshi said he would and he apologized. I always knew that it would be hard being ninja and raising a family. I just didn't see how extremely difficult it is. No wonder so many of us don't have parents that are ninja, or only one of them is. It's way too hard." I said.
"So what are you going to do."
"I'll work from 9pm to 5am on weekdays while Sasuke will work 6-2 on weekdays so we can be with our family, both of us from 2-9 on weekdays and on weekends."
"Isn't that going to be hard for you to manage that schedule?"
"Of course it is going to be Lee, but I'd do anything, sacrifice everything, for them. I'm sure that night shift is fine at the hospital. We have most patients checked out by 9 so it should be easier than the day shift. They, Sasuke, Yoshi, Hotaru and my two new children are so very important to me. I'd do anything for them Lee. Sasuke planned it, well more likely me, I planned it so that we can be with them, like real parents even though we're ninja."
"That's great Sakura-san. I'm happy that you can be a wonderful mother and ninja as well. I wish my parents would have done the same thing. I'm sure most kids wish their parents were like you."
"Well all the kids in the house have a parent with them most of the time. I mean it isn't the attention that Sasuke and I are planning on giving full attention from the time the get back from the academy to bedtime but in their families they have constantly working parents and they stay at work with them."
"So?"
"Ino and Shikamaru are doing planning and such in the Intelligence Unit of ANBU; they allowed Shika and Kane to be there with them. Tenten, Neji, Hinata and Naruto are all working constantly with their children with them. Hinata and Tenten being secretaries and taking care of the kids. Emily is a housewife so Kiba is gone all the time but she, being taught in the ways of clans was taught that that's how it's supposed to be. She doesn't mind. She's always happily wondering around the city and such. Their daughter Aki is a really nice; so is Emily."
"So everything is fine with your relationship with Sasuke?"
"If you're worried that he's going to leave me, that's not going to happen. At least I don't see it happening. He is more worried that I'd leave him because of how much time he spends gone. Sometimes I think it was better if I was just accepting that I was a housewife, and he is the man."
"You mean quit being a ninja."
"Just until my kids are grown."
"You can't do that Sakura. There are so many people that need your help as a med-Nin. You are important to so many people in that hospital. They need you."
"They've been fine without me for the last almost 5 years." I said.
"Yeah but that's only because Tsunade stayed. You think she's going to stay forever. I don't think she wants that. I think she wants to retire also."
"So does Shikamaru."
"My point is that you have to keep being a ninja, there are so many people who need you."
"I'll keep thinking, but thanks for trying to persuade my thoughts to the better Lee. I appreciate it. Don't worry about how Sasuke treats me either, it's none of your concern, and… he treats me absolutely perfect."
"And your family."
"He loves Yoshi so much. If you want, you should go and watch them train together. It's just basic kunai and shuriken stuff. Sasuke won't let me help him but Sasuke's not the best with aim, he wastes chakra making it straight. You may want to help. I would but Sasuke cares about me and doesn't want me to get hurt."
"Alright Sakura, bye." I nodded as he disappeared.
"eh." Hotaru said as she opened her eyes. She began crying. I rocked her gently back and forth. "I know you're there. So does Hotaru." I said turning around to meet the eyes of a familiar face.
"Sorry, but I didn't want to intrude. I heard that you had a daughter. I mean it's normal for the Uchihas to have a boy but most in the Uchiha Clan are men. It's been a while since a girl was born among them. I'm happy that you had a daughter and a son. I also heard a rumor that you are pregnant again." I looked at my stomach.
"It's definitely no rumor. I'm 3 months pregnant for sure. Everyone says I'm not showing which I'm sure isn't a good sign since I'm having twins."
"It's actually the first time twins have ever been born in Konoha. How happy for you? I just hope your health is well."
"Me too but Tsunade said everything is going to be fine and it has so far. I heard that those giving birth to twins usually die but this is me we're talking about." I answered he politely. She stepped out of the shadow of the trees.
It was Mrs. Uchiha. She's been gone a while from our family gatherings and she only stopped by shortly after Yoshi was born to see the new heir to the Uchiha Clan and now she's come to see Hotaru. "I'm glad you'll live on. I'm also happy that my nephew has a wife that's so willing to revive his clan with him."
"Willing, not really. I just don't care. It happens but I'm happy to help Sasuke. I love him and if that's what he needs, I'll help. I'm his wife so it's sort of my duty." She giggled at how I was blabbing on, so I stopped. "What to hold her?"
"Her?" She questioned.
"Yeah, she is a girl. You knew that."
"No… what is her name?"
"Oh yeah, Hotaru. Sorry." She held the small child in her arms. "I wonder why none of your kids have pink hair like you do. I wonder how you got pink hair. I also wonder how your son got dark fuchsia colored hair."
"Because I had pink hair and Sasuke had dark blue."
"But both your parents had black hair." She said.
"I'm just special. Who knows maybe one or both of the twins will too." I said with a smile. She handed me back Hotaru and walked away. "You'll be back right?"
"Eventually Sakura, take care of your family. I don't know of any threats but you should always protect them."
"I will, bye!" I said waving to her, as she was already gone. I put my arm down next to Hotaru.
I finished picking up groceries and other things we would need and I returned to the house where they were still training, even after I had finished shopping, talking and such. I sighed, boys are so very competitive, more so than girls. Well these two are Uchihas, what did I expect?
"Sasuke, Yoshi, time to eat." I called to the boys. Sasuke picked up his son, placing him on his shoulder and we walked off. I wanted to take a picture of us 4 like this but I think it'll be more interesting when the other two are born.
"Have you thought of names, yet?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah, names are important." Naruto said. He had learned that the hard way. No one made fun of Ramen, at least not while Naruto or Hinata were around, actually none of them at all did, they thought it was a cute name and that they had done it purposely.
"I don't know. I like the name Ren for a girl or maybe Rin. We're not even sure if it's two girls, one girl and one boy or two boys so we have a lot of variable names to pick from." I said resting my hands on my stomach as Sasuke 'attempted' to feed Hotaru who didn't like whatever he was feeding her.
"For a boy I like the names Ryuu and Kai." Sasuke said. Sasuke was indifferent when it came to names. He didn't care about names, his name was Sasuke, he really didn't care but he agreed that names had to representative of the child.
I took Hotaru into her room where she could sleep for the night as Sasuke but Yoshi to bed, it was only 7 or so but he was so tired. He had fallen asleep in his food, exhausted. Hotaru, being a baby, slept all the time, unlike Ramen.
I sat out on the balcony, staring off into the forest. It was peaceful here. I was glad about that. I wouldn't want my kids to grow up in the problems of the past generations, Akatsuki, Orochimaru, the Nine-Tale Fox and so much more as well as, especially, Itachi. No clan should ever have to deal with that again, especially not this one.
"Sakura, what's up?"
"After falling asleep earlier, I'm not really up to sleeping right now. Especially not at 7 o'clock."
"No, I mean… you're just acting different."
"Good or bad."
"I'm not sure, different." He said shrugging. "You're upset and I understand you miss me but your not being yourself where your always cheerful."
I laughed. "I'm moddy, tired and my stomach is upset some of the time. Trust me on this since we've been over a few years ago the fact you can't be pregnant and be constantly happy. (for details check out :: The Reasons Why :: She's Cheerful)."
"Oh yeah, I forgot. That makes sense. Sorry." He said.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I know that it slips your mind from time to time."
"No, it doesn't. I'm constantly worried about you with those twins." He said. I placed my hands on my stomach. I giggled as I gently lifted up my shirt enough to see my somewhat bulging stomach, then I placed my hands on it, it tickled. Sasuke was amused. I moved my hands off of my stomach, taking Sasuke's hands and placing them on my stomach gently. I could feel the babies moving, he could too.
"You can feel that from the inside?" He asked. I nodded, smiling. "Does it hurt you?" He asked, interested.
"Not really, when they get bigger and kick harder sometimes it will. Not now, they're too small. I'm sure you worry but I'm worried. It's scary, what's harder than killing something outside your body is something being killed inside of you. It's scary. I can't imagine the damage and fear that you'd have. I worry about them, Hotaru and Yoshi when they were inside of me. I wouldn't let anyone hurt them. It's my job to protect them."
"Mine is to protect you and them." I nodded.
"Having someone you love die in your arms is bad, killing someone is harder but having something die in you, I think it would drive me out of my mind. I worry all the time Sasuke. They're apart of me, sometimes I worry about if they'll be safer inside of me all the time. I would you know… deal with pregnancy everyday forever if that was the only way to keep them completely safe. I know it's somewhat silly but they're my children, and yours and I just want them safe Sasuke, just safe, healthy, and alive." I felt tears down my face. Sasuke pulled me carefully into his arms. My head resting on his shoulder. "That's all I want."
"All I want if for them and you to be happy and I want you to know that. I want your happiness just as much as I want it for them. You said your moody but can you just smile. I know you're worried, but just smile." I giggled. Sasuke wasn't one to say such sappy things but then again, there were many Sasukes. Some I knew as well as some I didn't. This is one I knew, the loving caring one that I married and had been living with. I also knew the revenger pure strength and determination one I grew up as well as the dead hopeless pathetic one that I saw when he was weakened. I knew Sasuke, but I liked them all the same. Except the pathetic one, because he left all sense of humanity and life, it was just a dead body.
I smiled wide. It made me feel better. "Thanks Sasuke. So… answer me a question… how many children do you think we're going to have before we die." He had a funny look on his face and I laughed. "You aren't answering the question Sasuke."
"I don't know Sakura. How many do you want?" He asked me, trying not to laugh at my ridiculous statement.
"I don't care honestly Sasuke. I think, finally, I've gotten used to being pregnant. It really does make me happy to be in this stage though I miss the normal things I used to do."
"You aren't answering your own question Sakura." He mocked. I stuck out my tongue at him.
"I don't know. By the end, in the end, a lot. Are you alright with that?" I laughed. Let's see you're asking avenger of his clan, Uchiha Sasuke, also someone in charge of the reviving and survival of the Uchiha Clan if he's okay with having a lot of kids. What a funny statement? You can't help but laugh, unless you were solid-faced like Neji or Sasuke. Naruto would laugh his head off and so would any of the girls. Neji would probably smirk and Shikamaru would just shake his head or something. It was soooo funny.
"Whatever you want Sakura. If that's what you want, fine by me." I stopped and just looked at him. "What? You asked."
"I did, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did."
"Well anyway, I guess having a big family would be nice. I mean, I really don't mind. As long as I can be with them, we can take care and protect them, give them a home… I'm happy to have a family. It would make me very happy." I closed my eyes, feeling the wind of the summer dry air blow my pink hair back.
"What are you doing?" He asked me. I opened one of my eyes to look at him.
"Thinking about it." I said, closing my eyes again.
- (Dream) –
I sat in the living room and a boy about 14 years old walked up to me. "Mom, I have a mission. It's just escorting a bunch of Genin somewhere while their sensei is out. No big. I'll be back in like 3 days, promise."
"Your sister one of them?" I asked him.
"Naw. Hotaru is at the hospital, training again while the twins are training. Why me anyway, the twins alone could handle watching Genin. Annoying Genin." I giggled.
"You were too at that age."
"Ha. As if, well I'm going." I nodded and he disappeared. Sasuke walked in the door holding too children by their shirts, I laughed.
"Sasuke, put them down." He tossed them on the couch.
"I was just playing around dad. I didn't mean to playfully knock my opponent out with the gag. I know I was disrespectful by using a prank to defeat them but I said I'm sorry." The boy said.
"Hm." The slightly older boy said. Sasuke just glared at him. He looked away, crossing his arms.
"You were just as bad, all I said was one thing, don't disgrace your opponent. You use a gag to take them out and you use one of your mom's techniques powered with too much chakra to poke them unconscious. You could have killed them."
"I won didn't I." Sasuke was getting angry as I just giggled away.
"Sasuke calm down, you two, you know the rules, respect your opponent, even if you did or didn't mean to, to your rooms."
"We can't help but be better. It's not our fault." I fell to the floor laughing. That, I smacked my head, when you're pregnant don't laugh so hard you fall over, it's not smart. Sasuke shook his head and helped me up.
"You're too soft." He said, pouting about how soft I am.
"As if I was ever as strict as you want me to be."
"Point." He said walking to our bedroom together.
- (Dream Over) –
"What did you discover?" Sasuke asked when I started laughing.
"If I laugh to hard, I fall over and can't get up."
"Anything else?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, most likely one of our kids will pick up on Naruto's prankster behavior and one of them will have your old attitude of I'm better than all of you and I'm not going to waste my time or effort. Then you have Owen who is annoyed by dealing with weaklings, especially Genin. Hotaru who took after me apparently in being a med-Nin and the twins are off training together constantly."
"Ah. Very interesting." I nodded and began laughing as Sasuke just shook his head.
A/N: Um… well Vontage Company phone server of Ohio and Time Warner Cable, my internet provider both decided to break down, at the same time so I couldn't get this to you but I'm coming up with an awesome idea for my first AU fic. (Alternative Universe). Or maybe it isn't. I'm not sure yet.
