Chapter Seventeen

Jiraiya's funeral came and pass. Mourned and never forgotten, a month passed in an instant. Naruto and Sasuke had started looking for a new place soon after the funeral, but even after a month, the two of them still didn't have any luck in finding a place. Today, Naruto and Sasuke had taken a day off to meet up with their real estate agent to look at some houses around the area, but again they didn't find one fitting to their taste. Sighing in defeat after returning from their search, Naruto stuck the key into the apartment door dejectedly. Sasuke stood beside him, shaking his head at his exaggerated movements. Pouting, he looked over to his lover. "There's only three months left. We still have to pack too," he said.

"I know," Sasuke said. "We'll find a place soon."

He wasn't so sure, but Naruto nodded. Smiling, he leaned it to kiss Sasuke on the lips. The frigid stillness of his lover didn't go unnoticed. Naruto pulled back and immediately opened his mouth to apologize. He had gotten use to kissing him that he forgot they were still in broad daylight, standing right outside the door where anyone could see them. "Ah, sorry, I didn't—"

"I should have known you were no good," a stern voice said from behind him.

Naruto jolted. He swiveled on his heels. His eyes widened in shock at the figure standing near the staircase. Long hair with brows furrowed sternly, the older man grunted in disappointment. Or maybe it was disgust? He didn't know which one it was. Naruto wet his lips nervously. He hadn't seen the old man in ages. He never even expected to. Seeing him again with the same pale eyes so much like his deceased wife, yet filled with such contempt, made his emotions conflict with one another.

"F-father-in-law..." Naruto mumbled. Hiashi Hyuga continued staring at him, face scrunched. His eyebrows twitched when he had called him father-in-law. Not a surprise for him. He wanted to turn around and see Sasuke's reaction, but his back was turned toward him and he didn't think Hiashi would like it if he turned away. Then again, he was sure Sasuke's expression would remain blank. Things like this often left Naruto wondering how to discern Sasuke's emotions because his lover was good at hiding his emotions. Twiddling his fingers, Naruto cleared his throat. "What brings you here? And...how did you find me?"

Hiashi sighed loudly. "It's not that hard when you have good detectives to hire. But when I heard from them that you were...in a relationship with a man, I couldn't believe it. I came here to see for myself and it was all true. My daughter...my daughter eloped with a man who sleeps with men! I can't forgive that! You didn't love her...you tricked her!"

Normally, Naruto wouldn't have raised his voice, especially to his father-in-law, but hearing Hiashi say he didn't love Hinata irked him. "You're wrong!" Naruto yelled. "I did love Hinata. She was everything to me!"

"And you couldn't protect her."

"She had cancer! What was I suppose to do?!" Naruto clenched his shirt. His heart pang at the memory. He would have done anything to have her live. He prayed to whatever Gods out there, visited different hospitals to see what they could do, put her through surgery, chemo therapy, but still...it wasn't enough. The cancer kept resurfacing and her body couldn't handle it anymore. He didn't want to see her suffer. It was too painful. Tears welled, threatening to fall. "You weren't even there. What right do you have? What right do you—!"

"Naruto," Sasuke's firm voice interrupted him. His strong hands gripped his biceps and squeezed comfortingly. "You two should go inside and talk."

He bit back his last words and took a shaky breath. Exhaling slowly, he nodded his head. Truthfully, he wanted nothing to do with Hiashi. He had disowned Hinata when she chose to marry him and had remained estranged. Even when Hinata had sent him news of the birth of his first grandchild, Hiashi never appeared or wrote back.

Instead, he wanted to get inside the apartment with Sasuke, hold him in his arms, and just...forget. He wanted Sasuke's warmth to envelope, to soothe him, and promise him sweet nothings. But he also knew he couldn't run away. Lifting his head, he looked to Sasuke. His lover's gaze stared into him. No words were exchanged, but he knew that Sasuke would come back once Hiashi left. Sasuke's hand left his arm, leaving behind a burning cold in its place. He wanted it back, but Sauske was already turning and entering his own apartment. Finally, he turned back to Hiashi and opened his door. "Please, come inside," he said.

Inside the apartment, a tense silence fell over the two. Naruto placed two cups of hot tea on the coffee table and then sat down. Hiashi sat on the lone chair, his gaze observing and scrutinizing the apartment room. Nervousness trickled back into his body. His leg bounced as he waited for Hiashi to say something...anything! But nothing came and the silence continued. Naruto leaned forward to take his cup, sipping as quietly as he could.

"I want to see my grandchildren," Hiashi said suddenly.

Naruto nearly burned himself from the surprise. Steadying his hands, he set the cup back down. "They're still at school, but they should be back in a bit."

"So you just let them walk home by themselves?"

"I usually work—"

"I know. I've done my research. You work at a ramen shop owned by Teuchi. You chose to live here because the now deceased, previous owner of this apartment complex, Jiraiya, lowered the rent for you. And now...this apartment building has been sold and all the residents need to leave in four months time. Well, three now."

Naruto gritted his teeth. Hands clenched, he stared into Hiashi's eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'll make this quick. I—"

"We're home!" Himawari's voice sang through the apartment as she opened the door. Her feet thudded down the short entrance, but skidded to a stop when she noticed Hiashi. Boruto and Sarada appeared behind her. Both of them looked between Naruto and Hiashi in confusion.

"It's Grandpa Hiashi!" Himawari exclaimed.

Naruto noticed the jerk in Hiashi's movement. He flicked his gaze back to the older man and watched him as he stared at his grandchildren for the first time. Clearing his throat, he told the children to head over to Sasuke's apartment. They were a little reluctant, but Sarada persuaded them to leave. After the kids left, Naruto turned back to Hiashi.

"They...knew me..." he muttered.

"Of course they do," Naruto said. "You may have disowned Hinata, but you were still her father. She still told the kids about you. She even had pictures of you, thanks to Hanabi."

"Hanabi?"

"Unlike you, Hanabi was perfectly fine with me. She kept in contact with us, but it looks like you've finally put more responsibility on her as the heiress since she hasn't contacted me in a while to see her niece and nephew."

Hiashi scowled. "Of course she would do this behind my back..."

"You were saying...what are you doing here?"

Recollecting himself, Hiashi sat up. "I want custody of my grandchildren."

The shock of the words left Naruto speechless. Hiashi never once participated in the lives of his grandchildren. Anger roiled through him. He stood up abruptly, surprising Hiashi. Frowning, he shouted, "You can't just waltz into my home and say you're taking my children! You have no right! You didn't want anything to do with us!"

"I can and I will! I won't let the children of my daughter live...live like paupers! You can't even afford to support them! The man named Jiraiya helped you! And you work at a dead end job! Add to that fact that you're in a relationship with another man! Who was that other girl standing beside my grandson?! Your lover's child?! He's in an affair with you, then?!"

"I can't believe—! You disowned Hinata! All because I wasn't good enough! You didn't care when she received news of having cancer. You didn't even bother to come to her funeral! And you didn't even care to check on your grandchildren after their mother passed! You have no right to take them from me!" Naruto was furious. His hands flared through the air as he screamed. "And just to let you know, we were happy. Hinata and I. Even if we didn't live luxurious lives, the two of us were happy. We had our children, we had a roof over our heads, and we had food we could put on the table...we—! We...were happy." His words choked. A lump formed in his throat. Turning away, he rubbed his hands against his face as he tried to calm himself. Breathing heavily, he said, "And yes, Sarada is Sasuke's child, but don't you dare belittle him. Sasuke is a single father. He lost his wife a few years back, but he has been raising his daughter by himself for a long time. He is a good man who would do anything for his daughter...unlike you."

Hiashi stood quietly. He straightened his back and said in a low voice, "I don't think you understand the gravity of my words, Naruto. You will give me custody of them. If not, you will be forcing my hands to make you."

He turned and walked out of the door. The door hadn't close all the way, so he heard Himawari's tiny voice saying goodbye to Hiashi. Exhaling roughly, he slumped back onto the couch. Dropping his head to his hands, he let out a scoff. Not only did he have to deal with finding a new place, now he had to deal with Hiashi trying to take his kids away. The thought made him afraid. Hiashi had enough network to be able to get the legal system against him. It would mean fighting a losing battle. Even so, he couldn't just sit back and watch his children get taken away. What am I going to do, Hinata? He thought as he leaned back against the sofa.

Who could help him? He didn't have any friends that knew the law about child custody or a lawyer friend in any matter. Was he to be left helpless again and watched his family fall apart once more? Naruto closed his eyes. Tears slid down his cheeks. Hopeless despair swallowed him, sinking him deep in their waters. He was drowning no matter how much he swan toward the surface. The water was thick and pulled him deeper into the abyss.

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice whispered beside him.

He jerked. He was so lost in his emotions, he hadn't noticed Sasuke approaching him. Wiping the tears, he cleared his throat. "Hey...um, where are the kids?"

"I told them to stay in my apartment and do their homework."

"Oh. Good..."

"You're, uh, argument didn't go unheard."

"The kids heard?"

"Most likely."

"Shit."

Naruto's shoulders drooped. He didn't need them worrying over adult things. A hand fell on his shoulder, tugging him. He went with the pull, letting himself fall into Sasuke's arm. His familiar scent relaxed him. He rolled his head, tucking his face into the crook of his lover's neck. He breathed in and out slowly, letting the tension fall from his body.

"Want to talk about it?" Sasuke asked.

"...Hmmm...where to start?" Naruto asked rhetorically. Trailing his hand down Sasuke's arm, he entwined their fingers. "When I first started to date Hinata, Hiashi was already against it, but we still dated, not caring. When I wanted to marry her, I decided I needed his blessings so as not to cause rift between Hinata and him. After all, he was her father. When I went to their place, he slammed the door in front of my face. For two days straight, I knelt in front of their house in the rain. By the third day, Hinata came out of the house with her bags. She said she didn't need her father's blessings to marry me. I was little reluctant at first, but Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, urged us to go and elope. She said Hiashi's mind wouldn't change, so with her younger sister's blessings, I took Hinata away and married her. After that, Hiashi disowned Hinata and chose not to contact her. Hanabi stayed in contact with us, even after she was chosen as the next heiress."

"Heiress?" Sasuked asked.

"Yeah...oh, you should know their family name. Hyuga."

"Hyu...ga? Like the Hyuga family that is renown for upholding Japanese traditions in tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and traditional dance along with having their own form of jujutsu?"

"Yup." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke leaned back to take a look at him. "You married the eldest daughter of the well renown Hyuga family..."

"Surprising?"

"Yes...now that I think about it, there was a bit of news about Hiashi Hyuga disowning a daughter."

"Yeah. My name was kept out of it. Probably because he was ashamed Hinata married me."

"Why?"

Naruto shrugged. "My parents were gay...two male men who raised a child. We weren't rich and we didn't have much to give. Most likely, I didn't have much I could offer. Hinata on the other hand...she was raised well, taught the ways of being a traditional Japanese woman. She was the heiress to a family of old traditions. It's like having a noble lady marry a peasant. Hiashi couldn't let that ruin the Hyuga's family name."

"So he disowned Hinata and chose his second daughter to take over."

"Yes. Hanabi was nice. Unlike Hiashi, she didn't mind my status and even encouraged our relationship to develop. Without her, I don't think Hinata and I would have gotten together. She stayed in contact with us after Hiashi disowned Hinata. She came to birthday parties for the kids and offered to babysit if Hinata and I ever needed some alone time together. She was there when Hinata fell ill and helped out during the funeral. Actually, she helped a lot even after, but I guess being the next heiress, she ended up with more responsibilities. She got busier and busier. She hasn't contacted me in a while."

"Maybe you should contact her tomorrow. She may be able to help."

"Maybe. I don't know...but I guess it's worth a try."

Sasuke hummed, then kissed his forehead. Naruto sighed contently, resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder. The day passed by as usual afterward. The children returned to the apartment and didn't ask questions about what happened earlier on. Naruto was grateful for it, but guilty at the same time. He didn't want them to have to act like adults. He decided he would treat them to some desserts over the weekend. It was the least he could do for the children who were growing much too fast.

The next day, he phoned Hanabi when everyone had left. She picked up his call on the second ring, surprised that he was contacting her. Smiling to himself, he said, "You're family. I should check up on you every now and then."

"Liar. If that was so, you would have done that earlier. What's going on?" she asked dismissively.

"Did you know that father visited me yesterday?"

"Huh? Dad? No, I had no idea. Why would he? He was so adamant about remaining out of your lives after the whole fiasco with Hinata and you marrying."

"Yeah...well, he did and he said he wanted custody of Boruto and Himawari."

"What?! I can't believe him! I'm so sorry, Naruto! I never thought he would go that far. Is there anyway I can help?"

"Maybe a lawyer?"

Hanabi sighed. "Father always has the best lawyers. I don't know if I can be of much help in finding a better one, but I'll try. I'll also talk with dad and try to persuade him."

Naruto scoffed. "Good luck with that."

"I know...anyways, take care of yourself, okay? I'll visit soon. I want to see my niece and nephew. And don't worry too much, okay? I'll find a way to stop dad."

"Thanks." Naruto hung out. Flopping down on the sofa, he exhaled loudly. He hoped things wouldn't get out of hand.

Around seven o'clock at work, Naruto's cell phone started buzzing. Setting the dirty plates into the sink, he dug through his pocket and took out his phone. Checking the caller, he was surprise to see the house phone number. Frowning, Naruto politely excused himself from beside Ayame and answered the call.

"Uncle Naruto?!" Sarada's shaky voice filtered from the other line.

"Sarada? What's wrong?" he asked in concern. She didn't normally call him.

"It's...it's Boruto and Himawari. I—I met up with them after school like usual, but I forgot something back in the club room, so I went back to get it. But when I went back to the entrance, Boruto and Himawari weren't there. I thought maybe they went ahead, which was odd, but I didn't think much of it. So I went back and I waited for an hour, but...but they aren't back yet!" Sarada's small voice turned into quiet sobs.

Fear spiked in Naruto. His heart thudded heavily as he tried to calm her down. "It's okay, Sarada. I'll go look for them. I'm sure nothing bad happened. You're still at home?"

"Ye-yes," she stuttered.

"Okay, good. Stay home, okay? Make sure the door is locked."

"O-okay."

After calming her down a little more, Naruto hung up. Adrenaline pumping with the sound of blood rushing against his ears, he barely had time to tell Teuchi what happened as he changed back into his casual clothes. He just mentioned his children were in trouble and rushed out. He promised the old man he would explain more after. He was outside when he thought to call Sasuke. Cursing under his breath, he speed dial his lover and waited anxiously. His foot tapped against the cement. When the first call didn't go through, he cursed loudly. People swerved around him, staring as he began walking to and fro. He called again, begging quietly that Sasuke would pick up. After the third ring, his smooth voice answered.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"Shit! I—fuck! Sarada just called me and said Boruto and Himawari are missing. Fucking...ugh! I'm thinking this has something to do with Hiashi. Look, I'm going to call Hanabi, but I think you should head home right now. Sarada sounded really scared over the phone. She's home alone, but I think someone needs to be with her."

"Of course."

Noises of things scattering and voices muffled from the other line, but Naruto could tell Sasuke was hurrying to get out of the office. He reassured Sasuke that he would get his children back and to worry more about Sarada's well being. They said their goodbyes shortly after. Immediately after hanging up with Sasuke, he called Hanabi. She picked up on the first ring which he thankfully muttered for. He quickly went over what happened and she immediately told him Hiashi had a place near there since he didn't like staying at hotels.

"I'll text you the address and then I'll head over there too," she said.

"I can't fucking believe he would try to kidnap them," Naruto growled.

"We don't know that yet. Hopefully, they're with him. If they are, we at least know that they're safe. Dad can be stubborn, but he won't harm them."

"I know. Still!" Naruto huffed. "Thanks, Hanabi."

"No problem."

Again, he hung up the phone. Seconds after he did, his cell binged, notifying him a text came through. He quickly took a look, noting down the address Hanabi sent. Then, he called for a taxi, urgently requesting them to hurry. He was in luck the taxi service listened. They arrived in less that ten minutes. Getting into the car, he gave them the address and once again told them to hurry. The drive was still painstakingly slow. Naruto thrummed his fingers against the seat, fidgeting as he looked on ahead. Hurry! Can't we go any faster?! He huffed, running his fingers through his hair. His legs began to jostle up and down. They were almost there, but traffic started to slow them down. He mentally cursed, then wondered if it would be faster by foot.

He almost told the taxi driver to just stop, but then they started moving again. Soon, they arrived at the destination. A traditional Japanese house loomed ahead. The gates were guarded by two men dressed in black suits. Not wanting to take much longer, Naruto apologized as he tossed the cash to the taxi driver and got out before they could reach the house. He reached the end of the sidewalk when he saw the gates open. Himawari burst out of the wooden gates. Naruto could see Boruto behind her and Hiashi chasing them. Relief flooded him at the sight of his children. They were safe. He was about to cross the street when Himawari noticed him. His daughter's tear stained face brightened at the sight of him.

"Daddy!" she yelled. Himawari jolted across the road.

Bright headlights flashed in the corner of his eyes. Naruto didn't have time to call out to her. All he could think about was his daughter's safety. He shot out onto the street. Everything around him slowed as Himawari stopped in the middle of the road, shocked from the car heading straight for her.

"Himaaa!" Boruto's voice yelled.

"Himawari!" Hiashi shouted at the same time.

Blood rushing, his feet pounded hard against the ground. He lunged with all the strength he had. His arms flung out as his teeth gritted. Please...oh God, please let me get to her in time. Don't take her away from me too! He begged inwardly, desperately wishing he had some power to get to her faster. His fingers touched fabric, then flesh. Grunting, he pushed Himawari back. He saw her tiny figure stumble back toward Hiashi and Boruto. Her eyes wide with tears, staring at him with shock. He didn't have time. The loud screech of the car echoed loudly beside him. Light blinded him, enveloping the image of Himawari. There was an impact against his side. Pain surged through his ribs and shoulders. Naruto's mind went blank. His breath caught in his throat as the wind whipped passed him. The ground fell away, but only for seconds. He landed back on the asphalt with a loud thud. The force of the car hitting him sent him rolling a few feet away. And then...all he saw was the darkening sky. Muffled, pounding music mixed with the ringing in his ears. Everything hurt. Naruto tasted copper in his mouth. He tried to talk, but wasn't even sure if he made a sound. His head rolled to the side. He saw pairs of feet running toward him. He wanted to ask if Himawari was okay, but his mouth wasn't working. Words wouldn't come out. Then darkness devoured him.

Quiet mutters stirred him awake. Naruto opened his eyes blearily. White walls surrounded him. For a second, he thought he was dead, but then a hand squeezed his. Groaning, he turned his head to the side. Sasuke sat beside him with his head tilted down as he held tightly onto his hand.

"Sasu...ke..." he mumbled. Sasuke twitched from his voice. His lover lifted his head quickly, revealing dark bags under his eyes. He couldn't remember what happened, but seeing Sasuke in this state left him worried. He lifted his hand, brushing his thumb against Sasuke's cheek in a soft caress. "Hey..."

"God, Naruto..." Sasuke muttered. His body shuddered as he leaned forward and clasped his hand to his chest. "I was so...shit…I thought I was going to lose you too."

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Ugh." Naruto groaned. A pounding in his head intensified.

"It's okay. Don't try to. Hold on, let me call the nurse."

Sasuke released his hand and got up. He left the room, leaving Naruto to his thoughts. He tried to remember despite Sasuke telling him he didn't need to. Suddenly, a flash of a car light came into mind. Moaning in pain, he finally remembered what had happened. He lifted his hand to rub his forehead, but was stopped by an uncomfortable tug. He glanced down to see an IV stuck in his arm. Naruto dropped his head back, then winced at the pain. A few minutes later, the door opened. A nurse walked into the room, followed by Sasuke and Iruka.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Uzumaki?" asked the nurse.

"Painful, but otherwise, okay," he replied.

"Alright. I'll need to do some check up. Don't move your head too much. It's been a day, but those stitches will need time to heal."

"Mmm." Naruto let the nurse do what she needed to do while he turned his attention to Iruka who sat down beside him in a chair. He smiled. "Hey dad."

Iruka tried to smile, but it wavered. He looked exhausted too. "Naruto...when I got the call from Sasuke that you were in a car accident...you don't know how much that took off out of my life! I was so scared! Kakashi and I came right away when we got the news."

"Sorry..."

"Don't apologize! I know why you jumped in front of the car. Hiashi told me."

"Hiashi?"

"Yes...when we got here, Hanabi was at the apartment. Shortly after, Hiashi dropped by. He told me what led up to how you got hit by the car. I was so angry at him. Taking the kids like that and just expecting them to accept it. He doesn't even understand their feelings." Iruka's hands clenched.

"You didn't hit him, did you?"

"No. I wanted to, but Kakashi did."

"Eh?"

"And I was very happy he did! But...after we calmed down a bit, we talked it out. Hiashi returned back to his place. The children didn't want to see him when he came to visit. I would say it's what he deserves but...well, I'm a grandfather too, so I understand he may be hurt by it."

Naruto sighed. "He never even saw them until that day."

"That's...not true." Iruka smiled sadly. "He may not have met them in the flesh, but he did see their photos."

Naruto frowned. There was much he needed to talk about with the other older man, but it would have to wait until he was released from the hospital. Looking to Sasuke, he smiled and reached for his hand. Sasuke immediately latched on. "Sorry, I worried you."

"Don't. I...I'm just glad you're okay," Sasuke said.

His voice was gravelly, most likely from lack of sleep. Naruto could imagine the fear Sasuke felt. He lost Sakura to an accident. If something were to happen to him too, he was afraid the light in his lover's eyes would disappear once more. He squeezed Sasuke's hand in comfort. "Yeah. I'll be back to normal in a jiffy! Don't worry. How...how is Himawari?"

"She's fine…" Sasuke started, "physically. She's traumatized, Naruto. I don't know how bad, but she hasn't said or done anything other than waking up from a nightmare last night. Maybe when she sees you, it will make her feel better. I can bring them by later."

Naruto nodded slowly. He really wanted to go home right now and hug his daughter, promise her the world that everything was going to be okay. Exhaling, he said, "Okay. Thank you."

The three of them talked for a while longer, but then Naruto started to worry that Sasuke needed sleep. He ushered Iruka and Sasuke to head back home. He was fine now. He didn't need them to stand beside him and worry their mind out. Reluctantly, the two left. Naruto waved them off, then settled back into the bed. The nurse finished her check up, but before leaving, she informed him the doctor wanted to talk to him. Puzzled, he nodded his head. He tapped his finger against the surface of the blanket, waiting patiently. Dark thoughts entered his mind, but he pushed them back. There couldn't be anything wrong with him. Maybe the doctor just wanted to reassure him that everything was going to be fine. Smiling, he nodded to himself. That had to be it.

There was a light knock on the door. Naruto turned his gaze to the door as it swung open. His doctor walked in, smiling kindly. Naruto smiled back and waited. The doctor sat down where Iruka had sat. There was a moment of silence which left Naruto uneasy. "Um, so the nurse said you had something to discuss with me?"

"Ah, yes," the doctor said. Clearing his throat, he straightened his back. He looked Naruto in the eyes. "I know you just recovered, but I believe this is something urgent."

"Okay?"

"You see, when we were taking some scans of your head to check for concussions, we found...a rather large tissue at the base of your skull."

Naruto stared. He gulped; his mouth turned dry. "What...what are you saying?"

"Mr. Uzumaki, we found a tumor near the tip of your spinal cord."

A/N: Hmm...was the pacing too fast? :I

Apologies for not writing much about Jiraiya's funeral. He doesn't even appear in the fanfic...