CCNote: Thanks as always for your support of this story! I'm going to try my best to make it all the way to the end. I'm determined not to leave this unfinished! Also to the flamers. Why are you clicking on a story with a tag you don't like? Like thanks for reading but why? Special shout out to the reviewers of the last chapter. Y'all are the real MVP.

Fun fact: Did you know that in Japan maternity leave and childcare leave are 2 separate things? Up to 14 weeks of maternity leave and then after that childcare leave kicks in. Childcare leave can be anywhere from 2 months to a year (or more depending on the company) after maternity leave. Childcare leave is available for both mothers and fathers and covers 50% of a person's salaried pay. There are lots of hoops to jump through but yea. The more ya know lol.

Important: This story is non-linear. It dips in and out of the lives of all of the characters/storylines from SwtE. So in order to not be confused please pay attention to date, time, and location stamps. It will help you keep things in order.

As always please leave a REVIEW! Enjoy!

F is for Regrets

Friday, February 18, 2019, 6:49 pm

Uchiha Penthouse

….

Sasuke sighed as he slumped back into his office chair. Scattered all over his desk were stacks of permit approvals, zoning guidelines, and multiple budgets that needed his approval before they could break ground at the new location for their headquarters. Work was a slow and steady slogging through more red tape than he'd anticipated but he was almost to the finish line. Well not actually. Once all of this preliminary paperwork was out of the way there was sure to be another deluge of tasks that required his attention.

Being the head of the Uchiha meant that his responsibilities had quadrupled overnight and not only was he to oversee the company but their clan affairs as well. There were coming of age ceremonies to plan and graduations to attend. Weddings and funerals that required his presence. Petty squabbles between members that needed to be settled. Most of the day to day dealings with the clan was supposed to be handled by the matriarch but Hinata had not yet accepted that role. He'd planned on asking her to marry him as soon as the twins were born but that had happened earlier than expected. They'd spent so much time going in and out of the hospital that a proposal and the subsequent planning of a wedding was out of both of their minds.

However, one month had turned into two, two into three. Neither one of them minded the arrangement. They were a family in all but name and they both had more pressing matters to attend to. The twins kept Hinata on her feet constantly and while Sasuke had tried to help the first few months after their birth, the demands of being head were much too great and he was dragged off to fulfill his responsibilities. He didn't like being far from Hinata and his sons though so every night he brought whatever work he couldn't finish back home with him. The guest bedroom in the penthouse had been converted into his own home office where he worked until he fell asleep at his desk or Hinata managed to coax him into bed when she'd finished wrestling with the twins.

Sasuke regretted not being able to spend more time with his family but just hearing their laughter and their cries, even from the next room, was enough for him for now. Currently, he could faintly hear the sounds of some children's television show in the living room. He closed his eyes and sank deeper into his chair. He would only rest his eyes for a moment and then it was back to work.

Just for a moment...

The Uchiha had almost fallen asleep when he heard a rather awkward and rushed thumping against the hardwood floor just outside of his door. Sasuke opened his tired eyes. Hinata must have dropped something on the way to their bedroom. He was about to close his eyes again but now there was tapping. Nothing Hinata could have dropped had the ability to tap. With a grunt, he stood up from his chair to investigate the disturbance and it didn't take long to figure out the source. There was a small gap between the door and the floor, small fingers thrummed through the gap as though they were searching for something.

Sasuke stood just a few inches out of reach of those small fingers, frozen in place by their familiarity and longing. Those fingers belonged to his son but they were also his own. His own fingers had reached through the gap in the door for many years searching unexplainably for his own father. A sharp pang shot through his chest as he watched the fingers disappear under the door and the muffled sound of Hinata's voice on the other side. When he opened the door to the office Hinata turned around, tired pale eyes looked up at him at first with surprise but then they softened. In her arms, she held a squirming little boy who desired nothing more than to be back on the ground. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and her clothing was rumpled from the tiny hands that constantly tugged on her.

Was this what his mother looked like the countless times she'd scooped his away from his father's door?

"I'm sorry, did he disturb you?" Hinata asked with a weary smile as she adjusted the boy on her hip.

"Hn." Sasuke replied shaking his head.

"Good. Come on Hiro. We have more things to play with in the living room."

When did he become his father?

Hiroto protested in Hinata's arms, his dark eyes welling up with tears. He was a persistent baby and did not like being deterred from what he'd set his little mind to. Sasuke frowned as the whimpering started to turn into a full-on tantrum with Hinata struggling to soothe him on their walk down the hall. Once Hajime heard his brother start crying he began to cry as well and soon the penthouse was filled with the sound of inconsolable tears.

With a shake of his head, he closed the door to his office and walked out towards the living room where Hinata was. She'd set a crying Hiroto down on a large quilt next to his brother who was equally red-faced for no other reason than for the fact that his partner in crime was also crying. Sasuke watched as Hinata tried to distract them with soft toys and noisemakers but the two stubbornly continued their tantrum.

"Hinata." He called, his voice barely able to be heard above the crying but his intended had heard him anyway.

"Sasuke?" She asked and this time her surprise stayed.

Seeing that look on her face actually hurt. She shouldn't be surprised to see him. He was her lover and the father of her children, his presence should not be that much of a shock. The Uchiha approached the quilt and crouched down next to his stubbornly upset sons. Identical sets of obsidian eyes looked up at him and their wailing ceased. Hajime's bottom lip quivered a bit and fat tears still streamed down Hiroto's face but at least they weren't screaming anymore. Hinata looked from the babies to him with wide pale eyes as though she'd just witnessed him part the sea.

"You are giving your mother a hard time." Sasuke said firmly.

He knew that the boys couldn't understand him but the sound of his voice actually made the last vestiges of their tantrums disappear. Sasuke looked around for something to dry their wet cheeks with but Hinata was way ahead of him and heading back to the quilt with a box of tissues. She started to wipe their faces but Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"Go." He said, rubbing his thumb gently against the outside of her wrist. Was her wrist always this small?

"Sasuke, I've got this. They're just extra fussy tonight. You should get back to your work." She protested softly but he could hear how tired she was in her voice. He was tired too but at least he didn't have two little demons screaming at him all day. He let go of her wrist in favor of taking the tissues from her and wiping his sons' cheeks clean.

"Go take a shower. You stink Hyuuga." He said without looking back at her.

He didn't have to see her to know that her face had turned crimson with embarrassment. It was a lie of course. Hinata never smelled that bad, at least not to him. As he pulled one of the twins into his lap Hinata rose up from the quilt and scurried away towards their bathroom. When he heard the water start to run he let out a sigh of relief and held up the little boy in his lap at arm's length. Hajime and Hiroto were nearly identical in every way save for the fact that Hajime had a tiny black freckle on the back of his left calf. Their families constantly mixed the two boys up and sometimes even he had difficulties but Hinata was able to tell the difference between the two of them instantly. He supposed it was because they were attached to her twenty-four hours a day.

"Haji." He said firmly and the eight-month-old stared back at him with big black eyes. "You are the oldest. You can't cry just because Hiro is crying."

Hajime only held out his pudgy little hands and wiggled his fingers to suggest he wanted to be held closer. With a defeated sigh, Sasuke held the boy close to his chest and Haji promptly buried his face into his shirt. The affection didn't last long though because he soon wanted to join his brother who was trying to crawl away off the quilt. Sasuke shook his head at the escape attempt and brought Hiroto back to the middle of the quilt.

He tried to distract them with their plethora of toys but all they desired to do was use him as a human jungle gym. So he laid down on his back and allowed them free reign to climb as much as they wished. It was another twenty minutes before Hinata reappeared again and this time she looked a lot better. Her smile was still a bit weary but the color had returned to her face. Under her arms, she carried in a stack of folders and brought them with her over to the quilt. She sat down beside him and opened the first folder.

"Sarutobi contracting budget outline. Itemized according to-"

"Hinata." he interrupted, placing a hand on her thigh.

A nonverbal sign that she didn't have to do this. She should really go to bed since she would likely only get a few hours of sleep before she needed to feed the twins. She placed the folder to the side for a moment before leaning over him. Her dark hair spilled around him like a curtain and blocked out the rest of the living room. He could feel one of the twins try to crawl away but he gently pulled them back by their ankle. He watched as Hinata's pale eyes slid closed and her lips descended upon his. Her lips were soft, so soft they turned his tense muscles into pudding and he could feel some of his fatigue slip away. When was the last time she'd kissed him like this? All too soon she pulled away, a soft pink blush brushed over her cheeks. The sight of her left him speechless. She picked up the folder again and settled herself into a more comfortable position.

"Sarutobi contracting budget outline..."

As her voice washed over him Sasuke couldn't help but feel that same pang from earlier in his chest. Or perhaps that was only Hajime beating on his chest. In either case, he didn't like it. He didn't like feeling this way. Why did it feel as though he missed her even though they shared the same bed every night? He existed in this world with her and yet they were constantly passing each other. The Uchiha wasn't quite sure how to deal with these kinds of emotions but he knew one thing for sure. Tonight would be the first and last night he saw little fingers underneath his door.

….

Saturday February 19 2019 1:30pm

Hyuuga Compound

….

"Haji look!"

His window was cracked open ever so slightly that her voice carried into his office. He could hear squeals of laughter coming from the garden and the splashing of water. Curiously, Hiashi Hyuuga pulled back the curtains and looked down at the private inner courtyard gardens of the main house. The inner courtyard was not as vast as the gardens shared by the rest of the compound. It had been carefully cultivated by himself and his wife when they'd first gotten married. He remembered the sweat that dripped into his eyes and the dirt that he was never able to completely get out from under his nails. He recalled the way her hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks and the way she smiled when their work was done.

'Hikari.' He thought as he pulled back the curtains a little more.

Sitting beside the small koi pond was his eldest daughter with one of her sons in her lap. His nephew's fiance had the other Uchiha in her lap as well. Hajime, the one Hinata had, was trying to reach his little hand into the pond. Wriggling fingers splashed the water in an attempt to coax the fish over but it only made them keep their distance. Hinata stilled his hand and kept it steady in the water until one brave, or rather stupid, koi fish finally brushed past his fingers. The little Uchiha jerked back his hand in surprise, unsure of whether to be happy or scared. Hinata laughed at Hajime's confused little face and his fear melted away. He turned back to the pond and stuck his hand in again, eager to touch another fish.

Hiashi pushed the window open a little wider to observe the garden's occupants better. Hinata came over once a month like clockwork so that the twins could spend time with the Hyuuga part of their family. Sometimes the children of the branch members would be clamoring over one another to play with their Uchiha cousins who were much too small for that kind of thing. Other times, like today, it would just be her and Tenten and the twins. He watched the twins grow in this garden. Each time they were a little bigger, a little longer, and the spitting image of their father. There was no mistaking the Uchiha's influence over their genes and Hiashi had a feeling that as they got older they would look like his clones.

There were pieces of Hinata in them though, namely their smile. The boys didn't smile for just anyone. In fact, they had never smiled when he was in their presence or when they were overrun by their extended family members. He had seen the phenomenon though when the garden was peaceful on days like today. They smiled the exact same way Hinata did when she was a baby. What would Hikari say if she were here right now watching their daughter? There was no doubt in his mind that his wife would be angry with him. Would she scold him for his harsh words and reprimand him for his pride? Would she think he was wrong?

He'd only wished for what was best for both of his daughters. Their lives were his to care for and protect. As long as they were within his reach he would stop at nothing to ensure that their lives were stable. However, somewhere along the way, he must have made a miscalculation. Hanabi never called him, not even for money. He wasn't quite sure what she was doing financially speaking because none of her accounts had been touched. What was she doing for money? His youngest was resourceful but he worried about her becoming entangled in a mess she couldn't get herself out of.

In regards to Hinata, he was the one pushing her away. At first, he didn't want to admit it. His pride was too large and his ego too stubborn. In his mind, Hinata had made a terrible mistake. She'd forsaken the future of her clan and the wishes of her father for a boy. An Uchiha at that! He thought that his eldest was smarter than to get herself mixed up with such a man but he supposed he only had himself to blame. If he hadn't initiated the merge with the Uchihas none of this would have happened. Hanabi would not have felt the need to essentially run away from home. He would be able to look Hinata in the eye. The Uchiha were a cursed family and it appeared as though some of their misfortune had rubbed off on him.

Hiashi's attention was torn away from his own thoughts when he heard the twins squeal. He watched as Hinata and Tenten let them go and they crawled through the grass to get to their father who was only a few feet away. Sasuke picked up both boys into his arms with the skill that only a father of twins could possess. Hajime and Hiroto tugged at the Uchiha's dark hair and pushed their little hands into his face until they were finally put back on the ground. Hiashi couldn't help but chuckle under his breath at the Uchiha's torment. However, his amusement didn't last long for the Uchiha's appearance meant that it was time for Hinata and the twins to depart. Tenten hugged her future sister in law tightly and kissed the twins goodbye much to their distaste. Sasuke took the twins away and Tenten followed close behind him with her arms full of stuffed toys. Hinata stayed back to fold up the quilt they'd laid out in the garden.

He watched her fold it up carefully with graceful movements all reminiscent of her mother. If Hikari was here she would be proud to see how beautiful their shy little grew up to be. That little girl who was all big eyes and red cheeks. Was she happy with the Uchiha? Was that punk able to make her as happy as he said he would nearly a year ago in his office? Hiashi couldn't tell...then again he wouldn't ask either. His pride wouldn't let him. When Hinata finished folding up the quilt she held the soft material close to her chest and turned to go inside but something made her pause. She turned back to where his office window overlooked the garden and looked up at him. It felt like an eternity as she held his gaze and for the first time in almost a year he didn't look away.

She was no longer the little girl he knew that would hide behind his pants legs and stutter uncontrollably. At some point, he blinked and she had turned into a woman. A woman who didn't need him. A woman he'd hurt. Sasuke stepped back into the garden, this time without the twins to collect Hinata. His daughter's gaze left his and she looked back at the man who now possessed the highest position in her heart. Hiashi watched as the Uchiha took the quilt from Hinata's arms and held out his hand for her to take. He led her back into the house and Hiashi closed his office window. He drew the curtains, throwing his office into darkness.

….

Saturday February 19 2019 10:45pm

Uchiha Penthouse

…..

All was finally quiet in the Uchiha household. The twins had lost out to sleep and were now tucked away safely in their cribs. Sasuke hooked the baby monitor to his belt loop and shut the nursery door behind him as softly as he could. He paused for a moment when there was a tiny click, praying that his sons were asleep deep enough that they didn't hear it. When neither one of them were roused he breathed a sigh of relief and ran his fingers through his hair. He had no idea how Hinata managed to get them to sleep every night. She made it look so easy but his sons were incredibly difficult to deal with when they wanted to be obstinate. This was why he'd wanted a daughter. Uchiha men were too much trouble. At the end of the hall, he heard a soft giggle and he looked up to see Hinata smiling at his misery.

"Have fun?" She whispered and Sasuke glared at her.

"Your children are terrible." He whispered back and pulled her down the hallway into the living room and towards their own room.

"They aren't that bad." Hinata defended with a knowing gleam in her eye.

Sasuke raised a skeptical brow at her ascertain and a broad smile spread across her face.

"They aren't I swear."

Sasuke shook his head and started to unbutton his shirt which was covered in sporadic patches of baby drool. He fumbled on a few of the buttons, his tired fingers just didn't want to obey him. Soon slender, pale fingers moved his own out of the way and began to unbutton his shirt for him. When the last button was off, she slid the shirt over his shoulders and took it away to be placed in the hamper. Sasuke was able to unbuckle his pants on his own and once they were off it only took him a second to crawl into bed. He placed the baby monitor on the bedside table and prayed to whatever gods he needed to that the twins would not wake up in the middle of the night.

"Were you able to come to an agreement on the blueprints with Neji?" Hinata asked as she slid into the bed next to him.

She squeaked as he wrapped one of his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He pressed his lips against the back of her shoulder and she shivered under his touch.

"Yes." He said.

It wasn't hard for him and Neji to agree on the blueprints for the new headquarters. After all, the layout and initial proposal had been Hinata's idea. If there was one thing the two of them could agree on it was Hinata.

"Good. When the twins are big enough I'll be back to work to help you."

Sasuke smirked against Hinata's shoulder. He desired nothing more than to have her working back by his side. He missed her spirit in the office but he didn't want to rush her back into work. In any case, the twins would likely run off any nanny they had so he doubted Hinata would be returning anytime soon. Part of him felt guilty though. His sons were a force to be reckoned with despite how tiny they were when they were born. He could only hope that they would temper out as they got older. He wished that they had more of Hinata's temperament than his.

They were stubborn at best...obstinate at their worst. They played well only with each other and sometimes Naruto's son Ito if they were feeling gracious. They liked to go on hunger strikes and wake up at odd hours of the night. Yet, despite their fussiness, Sasuke couldn't help but love them. The other night he'd promised himself to never see those little fingers reaching for him again. He needed to spend more time with them and Hinata. The meeting today with Neji hadn't only been about approving blueprints. No, there was going to be a staff shakeup and a new intake of employees.

Too much of the Hyuuga and Uchiha power was concentrated at the head of the company. The micromanagement of their companies was causing productivity to be slower than their competitors and things were slipping through the cracks. Something had to change. The way their elders had run things may have worked in the past but their methods were quickly becoming obsolete. There was no way he could continue to do this without becoming burned out or a stranger in his own home. Neji had agreed readily to his proposal and soon they would pitch the new structure to their shareholders to get their input. With any luck, in a few months, he'd be able to spend more time with his family and less time chained to his desk.

The thought of spending more time with Hinata brought him back to the present where the woman in his arms was sinking back into him, leeching off of his warmth the way she always did. He had missed this feeling immensely and for the first time in a while, he wasn't too tired to enjoy it.

"Hinata." He whispered, pressing the tip of his nose against her skin.

"Hm?" She mumbled with a voice thick with impending slumber.

"Thank you."

To be continued...

G is for Traditions

"What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done when you proposed the first time."