Disclaimer: I do not own the original Naruto characters used in this fiction, just the couples' kids.

Parents:

Sasuke & Sakura—Kiku and Daisuke; Neji & Tenten—Cho and Ryuu; Naruto & Hinata—Kitsune and Naien; Shikamaru & Temari—Shikarou, Tomoko, and Takara; Kiba & Ino—Misaki and Shiroko; Itachi & Hana—Katai and Chairomaru; Kakashi & Kurenai—Rei; Gaara & Matsuri—Yua; Asuma (deceased) & Kurenai—Raiden; Kakashi & Rin—Arata; Unknown—Osamu, Manako and Aoko, Soshina, Takeshi, Jun

Ages:

Raiden, Osamu, Arata—all 18; chuunin

Kiku, Cho, Katai, Manako, Rei, Jun, Takara, Tomoko, Takeshi—all 16; chuunin

Daisuke, Misaki, Kitsune, Shikarou, Ryuu, Yua, Naomi, Hayate—all 13; genin


Parenting 101

Chapter 54: Resolve

Some dreams are just worth the fight.

"Kabuto?"

A chilly wind passed through them, though no one seemed to notice it. It was so silent that you could've heard a pin drop. Their eyes looked between the pair, who stood frozen to where they stood, yards across from each other. However, their eyes were locked on each other.

"Shizune…" Her name escaped his lips in something that was no more than a whisper. He was surprised they'd even heard it.

Only one person seemed capable of breaking the trance that they'd all seemed to have fallen into: Jun.

He shakily stepped forward, looking at his father. He gulped. Hard.

"Is that her?" he asked almost as quietly as his father had been. "Is she—" He cut himself off, unable to say anything else.

Kabuto nodded silently.

"Jun?"

Jun turned his head slowly around, staring into Shizune's glassy eyes.

He looked back at her warily. "…O…Oka-san?"

That one word seemed to do the trick. She sucked in a shallow gasp, blinking and letting a few salty tears roll down her cheeks. She started slowly at first, but found herself rushing over to Jun, her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He seemed hesitant, if not shocked. However, he wrapped her arms around her as well, hugging her back.

It felt strange.

Considering the current situation, why did she feel so relieved? Why didn't all those years of accumulated fear and anger and confusion come flooding in?

And then, faintly in the back of her mind, she remembered Matsuri's words: 'A mother has no doubts when it comes to her children.'

As Jun pulled out of the hug, Shizune smiled at him, placing a hand softly on his cheek, and he closed his eyes.

Another breeze passed through a few minutes later, and Jun reopened his eyes.

He turned back to look at his father. He seemed as frozen as a statue.

"Oto-san…" he said softly. "Can we end this?"

Kabuto stared into his face, and if it wasn't for the fact that they were both looking at each other warily, it would've seemed like he hadn't heard him.

"Oka-san is alive," Jun continued, his voice a little louder now. "She's alive. We don't have to…Can we finally end this?"

Shizune's eyes cut to Kabuto. "What does he mean?" she asked quietly. "Did you…Did you do this for…"

"I thought you were dead."

Silence.

Then, "Wh…What?"

Kabuto looked as pale as a ghost. "I thought you were dead. I—I needed to—I couldn't just sit by."

"Kabuto."

They looked up. It was Orochimaru.

He stared straight at his former apprentice with an intense look, but there was something strangely empathetic about it. "Let go."

Tsunade was mildly surprised by his words, and it showed faintly on her face. He didn't look at her as she took his hand in hers, his eyes never leaving Kabuto's. However he did squeeze it back, seeming to acknowledge her, wanting to return the gesture, but not quite yet.

Kabuto looked at their joined hands then back to Orochimaru. "Let go," he repeated, and the message seemed to be loud and clear to everyone.

So Kabuto looked from Orochimaru and back to Jun.

"It's over."

A dead silence seemed to follow his words until they really seemed to sink in.

"It's…It's really over?" Jun asked.

Kabuto nodded once.

Then suddenly, Shizune was in front of him, her arms wrapped tightly around him as if she were afraid he was going to disappear again. She shoulders quivered delicately, and he heard the faint sounds of her muffled cries. After the shock wore off, his arms wrapped around her waist just as tightly.

Kitsune and Yua looked at each other, seeming just as shocked as well. However, when it hit them, they exhaled sighs of relief, throwing their arms around each other in a tight embrace. Their eyes were watery, and they were giggly and giddy. Matsuri and Gaara kissed sweetly but passionately. Naruto placed his hands on Hinata's hips, lifting her up and spinning her around before bringing her back onto her feet, their lips meeting in the middle. Orochimaru and Tsunade kissed as well, before Jiraiya came between them, grinning like a fool as he draped an arm around their shoulders.

Kabuto and Shizune parted and looked to Jun. Shizune extended an arm, and he went to them as he was pulled into another tight embrace.

It was finally – finally – over.


"Raiden! Raiden! Raiden-kun!"

Raiden's head snapped up in surprise, his eyes widening and face instantly brightening as he saw who it was that was calling him.

His arms were open the second Kiku leapt into them, and they locked around her waist tightly, lifting her off the ground a little as they kissed rather ardently. Her hair fell like a curtain on either sides of his face, tickling his cheekbones, and when they parted for air, they were breathless. He set her back on her feet, though his arms remained around her in a steel grip.

"You don't know how much I missed you," she said. "Or how worried I was!"

"I think I may have an idea," he corrected, smirking.

She rolled her eyes but laughed. "Liar."

Then she looked over at Daisuke and Raiden smiled, letting go of her so she could rush over to her little brother and pull him into a tight embrace.

"Look at you!" Kiku nearly exclaimed. "You were being reckless again, weren't you?"

"Onee-chan, relax, I'm fine," Daisuke laughed, trying to push Kiku off of him.

"Don't 'relax' me!" she said, smirking and pulling him closer. "You're not getting off the hook that easily!"

"Ryuu!"

Ryuu tore his eyes from Daisuke and Kiku, only to be tackled to the ground, Cho laughing in relief as she hugged him just as tightly as Kiku did Daisuke.

"You're not getting off the hook easily, either, Ryuu!" Cho was giggling.

Ryuu laughed as he and Cho sat up and Cho ruffled his already messed-up hair. "Right, right. I already know that."

"Hey, I think she's beginning to wake up," Naomi said suddenly, and they looked over at the bench where Chikyu had been laid out on, peacefully asleep.

Raiden walked over to the bench, kneeling beside Chikyu as she began to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds, a little disoriented at first, before she seemed to focus on everything around her. She sat herself up and looked at Raiden.

"Morning," he greeted. "Have a nice nap?"

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"Everything's okay now," Daisuke reassured. "We took care of it."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You…You did?"

Kiku looked between Daisuke and Chikyu, one eyebrow raised, before her eyes met Raiden's, who seemed to be smirking.

This caused Kiku to smirk as well, ruffling Daisuke's hair and exclaiming, "Did otoutou play the hero again?"

Daisuke's cheeks flushed a bright red. "Onee-chan!"

They all laughed.

Chikyu giggled, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his cheek, dangerously close to his lips, though no one seemed to notice this but him. "Thank you, Daisuke-kun," she said cheerfully as his cheeks reddened even further. "You were very chivalrous back there."

He cleared his throat. "N-No problem…"

"Oi!"

They looked over as, suddenly, everyone else seemed to join them.

Misaki, Shikarou, and Hayate were the first faces they saw, with Shiroko hot on their heels as they darted over to Naomi, Daisuke, and Ryuu in a hurry.

"Gosh, look at you!" Misaki scolded as she looked from Naomi to Ryuu to Daisuke, shaking her head.

Naomi arched an eyebrow in amusement. "A little cold there, Misaki?"

Misaki rolled her eyes.

"We had a snowball fight," Hayate answered. "What about you?"

Daisuke grinned. "We played with weeds."

Shiroko barked, wagging her tail happily, and Ryuu reached over to scratch behind her ears.

Right behind those four were Osamu, Arata, and Kori, laughing and shoving each other lightly at whatever they were joking about. Behind them, Takara and Tomoko were helping to support Rei, talking animatedly with each other. Manako and Katai were a little behind them, walking and talking with each other as Aoko and Chairomaru carried Hankon, Tsuki, Ai, and Kirai's unconscious bodies on their backs.

As Osamu came closer, Cho got to her feet, running into his arms, and they hugged each other tightly, pulling each other as physically close as possible.

He kissed her sweetly on her lips, and she caressed his cheek, giggling lightly.

"Hey stranger," she greeted.

He laughed. "Hey."

As they reached each other, everyone was hugging each other and laughing, relieved that they were all okay, several injuries put aside, and that they could sit down and take a breather. Parts of the village may have been destroyed or in ruins, but there was a strangely peaceful atmosphere—something about it seemed to tell them that it was finally over.


"Ryuu-kun!"

Yua arms were around Ryuu before he could register it, the force of her hug nearly knocking them over. Her face was wet with tears of relief.

"Yua," he breathed as they pulled out of the hug. He beamed at her, kissing her forehead. "Thank god, you're okay."

She laughed lightly. "And so are you."

Shikarou walked over to Kitsune, who was smiling at him, relief the dominant feature on her face. Her eyes were watery, of course, but she broke into a dazzling smile that had him hugging her, sighing in relief as he combed his fingers through one of her ponytails.

"You had me so worried," he admitted to her.

She giggled. "Silly Shikarou-kun."

He laughed as well. "Old habits die hard."

She pecked his cheek.

"So…" He trailed off, almost reluctant to ask. "Is it…Is it all really over?"

Her answering smile was just as dazzling as before. She nodded once. "Yes. It's really over."


"Daisuke! Kiku!"

Sakura had her arms around her kids before they could react, squeezing them to her in a nearly-bone-crushing hug. Her face was stained with tears, relief and worry and concern and happiness written all over her expression. Kiku and Daisuke didn't even complain about the crushing hug. Instead, they laughed, hugging her back.

When Sakura finally released them, she wiped away a few tears, and Sasuke placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Oto-san!" they both exclaimed, running into their father's arms. Surprisingly, he hugged them back almost as tightly as Sakura had.

"We're so relieved you're both okay," Sakura cried.

"You're mother was a bit worried," Sasuke informed in a tone that implied that "a bit happy" was a big understatement.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just me? You were, too!"

"Of course I was," he said. "But I didn't reduce into a fit of hysterics."

"I was not hysterical!"

"Uh, Oka-san," Daisuke laughed, "you kind of are now."

"Oh, whatever," Sakura said, pulling them into another hug. "We're all okay, and that's all that matters!"

"Definitely," Kiku agreed.

Sasuke, however, didn't notice this. Instead, he seemed to be staring intently at Kiku—or, more specifically, her hand.

"Kiku…"

"Hm?"

"Why are you wearing a ring?"


"Honestly," Tenten sighed as she finished wrapping the bandages around Ryuu's forearm, "you two can be as stubborn as your father." She took another look at Ryuu and ruffled his hair, seeming to deem him taken care of. "I mean, I know some things can't be helped, but you don't have to completely disregard your own safety."

"You act like this is the first time," Cho reminded. "We've gone on dangerous missions before."

"Be that as it may," Neji said as he placed a hand on the back of his daughter's neck, "we're both immensely relieved you two are safe."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course we are," she agreed in a huff, "but you two are not getting off the hook that easily."

"Funny," Ryuu laughed. "Cho said that same thing to me earlier."

"Good," Tenten declared, and they laughed.

Neji's eyes drifted towards the end of the path, where he saw a familiar figure waiting patiently.

"Osamu."

The boy looked up at his name.

Cho watched her father warily, as did Tenten and Ryuu, as Neji waved Osamu over.

"Sir?" Osamu asked as he reached them.

It was quiet for a moment, and Tenten almost interrupted, until Neji said, "Thank you for being there for my daughter."

"Oto-san?"

Osamu blinked, shocked for a moment.

Then he smiled back a little, replying, "Thank you, sir."

Tenten sighed silently in relief, beaming at Cho, who looked positively euphoric as she threw herself at Osamu in another hug. She looked to husband and smiled in approval. Neji walked over to her and they kissed gently before he sat down on the bench beside her, placing a hand on Ryuu's shoulder.

"So, Osamu," Tenten said, and Osamu and Cho looked away from each other and her. "Why don't you tell us more about yourself?"


"You children are going to be—"

"The death of you?" Tomoko, Takara, and Shikarou guessed.

Shikamaru laughed. Temari rolled her eyes, stretching up on her toes to shut her husband up with a kiss. Then she turned back to her three children and told them, "You three are so lucky you came back relatively unharmed, or else I wouldn't be so lenient right now, you hear?"

"Yes, Oka-san."

"I'm not sure whether or not it would've been better to come back harmed," Shikarou muttered. "Then I wouldn't have to hear the troublesome—"

"Excuse me?" Temari cut him off.

"Nothing, nothing."

"That's what I thought."

"Jeez, you think we'd get a little more praise for helping to save the day," Takara said, "but instead, we get lectured!"

"Now why would we praise recklessness and stupidity?" Temari questioned. "You must get that from your father."

"What your mother means is that she is very proud of you guys, and so am I," Shikamaru told them.

"I am perfectly capable of telling them what I mean," Temari told him.

"It doesn't seem like it," he muttered.

"Excuse me? Are you trying to imply something to me, Shikamaru?"

"Troublesome wom—ow! Jeez, I get it, I get it."

Tomoko rolled her eyes. "Honestly, sometimes you guys make me question how you two ever got married in the first place."

"Me too," Takara agreed.

"Same here," Shikarou mumbled.

Temari and Shikamaru looked at each other. "Us, too."


"You're not going to lecture me to death again, are you, Oka-san?" Misaki asked.

Ino sighed, pulling her daughter closer to her as they walked down the path. "No, honey, I'm not going to lecture you right now."

"Of course she doesn't lecture her, because she already pulled it out on me," Kiba mumbled to himself.

Ino glared at him. He rolled his eyes. Misaki laughed.

"Mimi-chan," she began, "I'm very proud that you were able to help and that you saved the village—"

Shiroko barked.

Kiba laughed. "She means you, too," he reassured as he petted her.

Ino and Misaki laughed as well.

"Of course I'm proud," Ino continued. "It's just…I'm a mom, Mimi-chan, what do you expect? I'll always be worried."

"I'm older now, Oka-san, you don't have to be," she reassured.

She shook her head. "Believe me, I have to be."

"You'll always be our little girl," Kiba added as he placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead.

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "That was so cheesy, Oto-san…"

Akamaru barked very deliberately, nudging Misaki with his muzzle.

"See? Even Akamaru agrees."


"You have a talent for making me worry myself sick," Hana reprimanded as she ran her fingers through Katai's hair. She felt Chairomaru nudge her shoulder, and she smiled, scratching him behind his ears. Then her eyes met Itachi's and he smiled at her. She sighed again, a hint of a smile on her lips. "All three of you do! What am I supposed to do?"

"Stop worrying?" Katai asked, though when Hana threw him a look, he shrugged. "I'm just saying…"

"I thought you were going to stop giving me reasons to worry?" she questioned.

"I think we all know that it's impossible," Katai reminded.

Itachi placed a hand on the small over he back. "Especially considering it's you."

She rolled her eyes and kissed his lips.

"Yeah, I know, I know."

"Have you always been like this?" Katai questioned.

Itachi and Hana burst into laughter.

"Believe it or not, there was once upon a time where I didn't get as paranoid," Hana answered, beaming widely at Itachi.

He looked between his mother and father. "Is it because you two got together?"

"Probably."

"Which reminds me," Itachi said, "where's our future daughter-in-law?"

Katai blushed. "W…What?"

"Manako-chan?" Hana asked. "I like that girl. She's got fire."

Chairomaru barked in approval.

"H-Hey!"


"The important thing is that you two are safe and sound and so is the village," Kurenai said, more to herself than anyone else.

Raiden and Rei exchanged looks. 'Is she always like this?' his expression seemed to ask.

Rei smiled back at him. 'All the time.'

'Great.'

"I think you can stop hyperventilating, Kurenai," Kakashi advised, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind and kissing her temple. She nodded once, seeming to calm down a little, though she still looked anxious and distressed. "The worst of it is over. You said it yourself, right? They're safe and sound."

"Nothing to be worried about," Rei added.

"As if I'd let anything happen to my little sister," Raiden teased, placing an arm around Rei's shoulder.

Rei arched an eyebrow. "You were halfway across the village from me!"

"She knows what I mean."

"You don't know how hard it was to deal with the possibilities of…" Kurenai trailed off, though what she was thinking as definitely implied. "Especially since Raiden just…"

"We're safe now…Oka-san," Raiden said, smiling as he said the word.

Kurenai broke into a smile as well, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

Rei, however, was looking elsewhere.

"Arata!" she exclaimed

The boy snapped his head up in surprise, and he and Rin turned around just as Rei darted over to them, throwing her arms around Arata. He blinked rapidly for a few seconds, surprised, before hugging her back. "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "I think I've just about recovered."

"Did something happen, Rei?" Rin asked, casting a worried glance at Arata.

"Genjutsu," she explained. "But I'm fine now."

Arata smiled at her again before looking up as Raiden walked over to him, Kurenai and Kakashi following.

Raiden clapped his shoulder, smiling at him almost reassuringly, before he met eyes with Rei. She smiled and nodded, pulling herself from Arata's arms and stepping aside as Kakashi walked up to him. Arata seemed to watch him warily, though he began to relax more as Kakashi laughed lightly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he assured. "No harm done."

"I see." Kakashi said hesitantly, his hand slipping back into his pockets. "Well I…I'm glad to hear that."

Rei smiled at then, placing a hand on both of their shoulders.

"How are you, Rin?" Kurenai asked in concern.

Rin looked a little surprised at first. However, Kurenai's warm smile seemed to ease up her tension. "I'm alright."

Rei looked from Kurenai and Rin to Kakashi then to Arata and Raiden, a wide smile on her face. She giggled lightly to herself.

It wasn't perfect—but, hell, what ever really is perfect? She knew her family was far from traditional. And she knew it was going to take time and it would take baby steps. But she also knew that she was never going to let go of that goal to have everything in its rightful place, for with each dawn, she found new hope that someday, her dreams of happiness would come true.


A/n.

Quote from Chapter 55: "Ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them!"—from The Aristocats

(EXPLANATION/DETAILS IN LAST CHAPTER)