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Day 16 Prompt: Nefelibata (Portuguese)

"A daydreamer that doesn't obey the conventions of society."

Sasuke stood in front of the operating room sink, lathering soap over his hands and forearms.

"Did you hear the news?" Shizune asked, her voice muffled by her mask.

She observed him, making sure he washed and rinsed three times for the right amount of seconds.

Sasuke grunted a no. He did not want to risk counting and talking at the same time. Due to sufficient exposure, Shizune understood his non-verbal communication.

"The Lightning spy escaped," she said.

Oh. He did not know the spy was from Lightning. It helped to have well connected friends. He knew all the best gossip.

"That sucks."

She chuckled while continuing to watch him thoroughly rinse his arms of soap. "Yeah it does."

oOo

Sasuke watched his father and Itachi talk quietly to the side. The other members of the Uchiha council murmured to themselves. No one bothered to address Sasuke.

He never understood why his father insisted Sasuke attend these meetings. Everyone here knew Sasuke was the spare. And with Itachi's skill at survival, Sasuke would never be needed.

All the Uchiha needed now was for Itachi to have his own children.

Sasuke shifted on his pillow on the floor and sighed. He tucked his hands into the sleeves into his haori. Briefly, he wondered if he could doze off before the meeting started.

His eyes slowly drifted closed. Only to snap open when a thought occurred to him.

Sasuke was the second son. He could do whatever he wanted with impunity. He could marry Hinata, and no one could give him grief for marrying outside the clan. Even if the Hyuga took Sasuke into their fold, he would still be in the clear.

He owed his clan nothing.

A giddy thrill rushed through him.

Sasuke always thought he needed to rebel against his father's wishes. He believed that he would need to fight for the right to marry Hinata.

But Sasuke could do whatever he wanted. He was the son of the clan head, yes. But Sasuke would not be expected to do anything for the clan after Itachi became the leader.

And he and Izumi were well on their way to having their first child. In about seven months, in fact.

That thought spawned a new one. If he had children with Hinata, what would their dojutsu do? Interesting.

Whoops, now he could not stop thinking about babies.

He leaned an elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist. He did not pay any attention to the meeting, too busy staring off into space with heavy-lidded eyes and daydreaming.

If she wanted him, he could have Hinata.

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At the same time, across the village, Hinata was not thinking about children and the activities that led to pregnancy. Especially with Mirai sleeping in her arms.

Mirai was almost too big to sleep like this. Her head lay at a weird angle and her elbows and knees were sharp. But Hinata wanted to cherish this for as long as possible. With Mirai as a pre-genin now, she might grow too mature to sleep on her auntie's lap.

Basking in the warmth of keeping a loved one close, Hinata watched as her teammates volleyed arguments back and forth over Kurenai's small kitchen table.

"I think the bas-" Kiba caught himself with a guilty look at Mirai. "I think Sasuke should butt out. He hangs around too many cats," he spit.

Akamaru sneezed in agreement.

Kurenai giggled. "He's very nice, even if he likes cats. If he insists on it, why can't Hinata let him figure it out?"

Shino adjusted his glasses. "He has a romantic interest in Hinata."

Kiba snorted and crossed his arms. "Well, obviously."

Hinata jolted in place, and she knew her face was tomato red. "H-how do you know that? I thought he was just being nice. Isn't he just doing his job?"

"His pheromones," Kiba and Shino gravely announced in unison.

Hinata wanted to hide.

Kurenai guffawed out a laugh and slapped the table. Mirai grumbled and shifted. Hinata grimaced and gently moved a pointy knee out of her side.

"But does our Hinata-chan want Sasuke back?" Kurenai asked.

"Yes," Kiba and Shino said at the same time again.

Hinata wanted to die. She could not make a break for it with Mirai in her arms. Or maybe she could.

"Want to run away with me, Mirai?" She asked.

The sleepy child only whined and clutched Hinata's shirt.

Hinata smiled. "Worth a try."

"He's not too bad," Kurenai crooned. She ran a hand over Hinata's hair. "Handsome. Has a good job. Smart."

"How smart can he be if he hasn't even figured out what's going on with our Hinata-chan?" Kiba demanded, gnashing his sharp teeth.

"I wager he never figures it out," Shino said. "When the limited information becomes public, he still won't understand what happened."

Hinata gasped, but it was drowned out by Kiba's laughter.

"What are we wagering?" Kurenai leaned forward.

All three sets of eyes fell on Hinata. She hunched her shoulders towards her ears.

"Cinnamon rolls," Kiba declared. "Hinata has to make cinnamon rolls for the winner."

"And if I win?" Hinata breathed.

Kurenai laughed again.

Shino raised an eyebrow. "Then we'll have to buy you cinnamon rolls."

Hinata stuck out her hand across the table. "Deal."

They all took turns shaking hands. Kurenai left to get a piece of paper and a pencil. If they did not write it down, Kiba and Shino tended to lie about what they bet in the first place. This way cut out most of the cheating.

Kurenai asked everyone what they bet.

Shino: "He will not figure it out."

Kiba: "I bet the same. Wait, I can't bet the same? Ugh. Shit. Um. He'll give up and ask Hinata what's goin' on again."

Kurenai: "I bet he'll only put the pieces together after the news becomes public."

Hinata: "He's very close. He'll figure it out soon."

Kiba narrowed his eyes at her. "You're only saying that because you like him."

Hinata buried her smile in Mirai's curls. "He is," she argued. "Watch."

oOo

Coming up: Hanabi visits Sasuke.