A good couple of hours had passed by the time I made it home, but chatting with old friends provided all the excuse for it Hinata or Mikito needed to hear. The former was just waking up anyway, and mildly, ridiculously, ashamed of that fact. With the extra pair of hands getting the kids fed and putting them down for the night felt like a breeze. We all got to bed early and even had a bit of free time, which I chose to spend cuddling with my wife.
It was probably my imagination, but her belly seemed to be growing faster. It was already enough to hide those little feet from her, and to slow her quite a bit. Though despite the phenomenal day and the relaxing evening, my mind was still tense. Even as I drifted off to sleep still holding my wife, all I could think about was her.
Hanabi.
I didn't say anything to the family the next morning. I ate my breakfast with a smile watching Iori and Katagiri in their high chairs carelessly slapping handfuls of eggs against their faces. I didn't even say anything to Hanabi when I picked her up. With our kids in the back seat patience was required, and with the summer they rode with us all the way to work, walked in with us to the nursery, then, only then, when the aforementioned nursery was a hallway away, did I finally pipe up.
"So your fucking Itachi?" I asked bluntly.
"Yes," she replied without pausing her stride to the elevator, or looking at me for that matter.
"Is that all you have to say to me?"
"What, you think I'm your property or something? If anything it's the other way around," she said, with just a ghost of defensiveness in her tone. My eyes drifted down to her belly, she was just starting to show.
"Is the kid mine?" I bit out, about halfway through the ride.
"Yes Naruto, it is," she replied, starting to sound annoyed but bringing her eyes to meet mine finally. I said nothing in return but kept staring at her with no effort to hide my anger.
She sighed.
"Look, you dumbass, right now Itachi thinks I'm wrapped around his little finger. He thinks I'm just some dumb, overwhelmed little valley girl self-conscious about the two bastards, jealous of my older sister's happy little domestic life, and sure that nobody's ever going to fall in love with me. He thinks we're going to get married once I get my Dad and Neji out of the way, and he'll control the whole Hyuugu clan," she explained, suddenly capturing my interest most soundly. "In about six months, I'm going to give birth to a baby, give him the finger, tell him it's not his, that he's a dipshit, and that I never loved him. Hopefully, I'll also be able to tell him that the bun in his wife's oven isn't his either at that time,"
"W-what is that going to accomplish?" I asked cautiously.
Hanabi didn't answer. The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and she walked down the hall to her office. When I shut the door behind me she continued, her voice just a breath quieter.
"What it will accomplish, is that it will put Itachi on the war path. He's going to lose his fucking mind, he's going to want to kill everyone, including his wife. Sasuke's not going to let that happen. It'll be easy for him to get all the players in the Uchiha's on his side, they don't want war with the Hyuugu's over a little lover's tiff. He puts a slug in Itachi's head, the Uchiha's lose their mastermind, their best lawyer, and are thrown into further chaos. All at virtually no cost to my family,"
She explained it all like it was simple like it was nothing.
I felt sick to my stomach.
"See, don't you wish you just you hadn't asked?" she mocked, slipping her hands around my neck. "You just let me handle this kind of business alright?" I didn't appreciate being spoken to like a child, but then she did something that well and truly shocked me. She lay a soft, tender kiss on my mouth. "I'll take care of everything…Hinata…the kids…you," she kissed me again. This time I returned it the slightest bit.
Hanabi rarely kissed me, hell even when we were having sex it was a special treat. The look in her eyes seemed so warm and comforting too, even if that smile was a little too damn smug. I kissed her a third time, she let me.
"Okay,"
"Great, and speaking of there's something else you need to do. Neji's wife, Shion. She doesn't need to get pregnant, but it's a plus if you can. We got a double date with her tomorrow, that's your foot in the door," she said abruptly, patting me on the cheek.
"Is everyone you send me to seduce going to have a husband that can kill me?"
"Neji wouldn't kill you, he loves Hinata too much. Now leave me alone, I have work to do," she insisted, pulling her arms free and walking to her desk. It probably wasn't just an excuse, to be fair. Not everyone in the office just sat on their thumbs all day. Though I suppose I could be making a plan with my time.
I didn't know Shion all that well, but that was mostly by choice. Every time we interacted she just seemed like such a rotten woman. She even treated Neji like dirt. At least she was hot, beautiful really, it was such a stark contrast with who she was inside. It felt like there was a good chance she'd be down to fuck just to screw over her husband, but how would I trust her to keep quiet?
The last thing Hinata needed right now was to be reminded of my bastardry, she was already so insecure and hormonal due to the pregnancy. Another slight complication, Shion fucking hated Hinata. What the hell was Hanabi thinking? How important was this little mission? Fuck, I should have asked that when I had the chance.
Then again the last time I asked for more information about her plots, a few minutes ago, it didn't exactly make me feel better. The thought of this dinner loomed over my head like a dark cloud, it made the usually boring ass workday pass far too quickly. Before I knew it I was driving Hanabi and our kids home without even the flimsy skeleton of a plan.
Hinata noticed practically the second she saw me. Hell, even the kids seemed to pick up something was wrong, though they were easily satisfied with the assurance it was work stuff that they didn't need to worry about. I wouldn't be so lucky with my wife. She sat on the bed watching me with those big fretful eyes as I undressed, and she was still right there waiting when I stepped out of the shower.
I had to tell her something.
"I'm doing… something for Hanabi, I'm worried it's going to get back to you and it'll hurt you," it didn't help when Hinata didn't answer, but I didn't know what else to say. At least a minute passed before she replied.
"It's important?"
"I hope she wouldn't ask me for this if it wasn't,"
Another long silence.
"I love you Naruto, I'm never going to stop loving you, no matter what," she promised, putting a hand on my knee. "Do what you think is best, I'll support you," she promised.
"You really are the most incredible wife in the world, you know that?" I asked, putting my mouth to hers. She responded with a happy hum but pulled away as I pushed her onto her back.
"N-Naruto can we… c-can we-"
I kissed her again.
"It's okay Hinata, let's just cuddle," I assured, hating the look of fear and shame in her eyes as she tried to ask me to stop. There was such an intoxicating mixture of guilt and pride whenever she told me no. The reminder that she thought she was my only source of relief, or at least one of very few, the feeling of power knowing that I didn't need her for this.
Oh but I did need her. That's what this was all about, wasn't it? Keeping the family safe, it's what I told Hanabi anyway, it was the condition of me working for her. That thought is what finally settled my mind. It didn't put me at peace, but it was enough to get me to sleep.
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