"Miss! One more glass over here!" A rowdy old man yells out as he and his rambunctious group of friends sits in the corner booth of an old rickety tavern.
"Yes! Right away!" Quickly the young lady diverts her eyes from the group and clutches her serving tray against her buxom chest; disappearing quickly into the back kitchen.
One of the men was skinny and had a small build. His long hair greasy and tied up in a pony tail, he slam his half empty glass on the table excitedly. "Did you see that ass!" The whole table roars, and howls in agreement.
Another man of the group leans into the table and replies loudly with raising his glass. "I could just eat that juicy peach up all day!" Again the tavern in filled with their raucous and inappropriate laughter.
Two tables over, in the middle of the tavern sat three men wearing long cloaks with their hoods on. The hooded men sat quietly at the table with three glasses of water.
The young lady emerged from the kitchen and reluctantly proceeded to the corner booth. "H-Here you are." With a full glass in her hand she hesitates to place it on the table where the rowdy men had placed their multiple weapons; leaving no room for the glass.
"Uh, If you could j-just…" She stutters nervously as her hand hovers over the table.
"Just what, miss?" The man sitting against the wall calls out to her. The older man laughs, his large belly shaking frivolously. "Whatcha scared for sweetie!" He grabs her wrist quickly and pulls her toward him, causing the alcohol in the glass to spill on his lap. Letting out a yelp in surprise the waitress pulls her arm away instinctively. "Ah, I'm so sorry! I'll clean that right up!" She reaches for the cloth folded away in the front pocket of her apron; causing the old man to smirk deviously.
A loud slamming sound is heard throughout the tavern, causing the table of rowdy men to shift their gazes in the direction of the three hooded men. With a still hand holding an empty glass on the table, the hooded man leans back in his chair and holds it up coolly. "Miss."
The young lady blinks nervously and nods at the man. "Ah ye-yes! Right away!" The waitress calls out and takes a step away from the old man.
"I believe you were serving me first." The old man says as he catches hold of her wrist. The waitress looks at him and whips her arm away. "I'll get a cleaner cloth for you, I am very sorry for what happened."
"Miss!" The hooded man calls out to her impatiently.
"Yes, coming." She makes her way to the round table and takes the empty glass. Before heading to kitchen the hooded man whispers to her; nodding her head she rushes to the kitchen.
Irritated, the old man shifts in his seat and looks towards the three hooded men. "What's your problem boy?" He says in a husky tone. "Can't you see we were just having us some fun?" The old man gets up and makes his way to the hooded men. His friends follow him closely behind. With only a table between the two groups, the hooded man speaks calmly. "I believe I did nothing wrong."
The old man and his men laugh mockingly. "Nothing wrong?" He bends over and gets a good look at the hooded man. "Haha, well I suppose little boys like you wouldn't know what kinda fun I'm talking about." He straightens out his back and laughs again loudly.
The second hooded man at the table raises his hand silently.
The skinnier man of the rowdy group steps forward with a limp. "What's your problem kid, cat got your tongue or something?"
The second hooded man sets down his hand. "I'd advise that you all leave immediately. Why you ask, because the outcome of this will not be in your favor."
"Not in our favor?!" The old man laughs and hits the chest of the men around him with the back of his hands. Leaning in and placing his hand on the table in front of him the old man speaks with rumbling voice. "Men! Get your weapons; we're going to teach these kids a lesson."
Letting out villainous cries and howls the rowdy men grab their weapons from off their table and make their way back to the hooded men. "Let's have some fun boys!" The old man reaches for a large saber like weapon and pulls it out of the sheath tied to his waist. Raising his arm he charges; moving forward with his men following closely behind him. The three hooded men sit at their spots quietly, not making a move.
"Don't just sit there!" The old man's blade swipes the air, his eyes widen and he drops his blade.
"Boss! Boss!" His men call out to him from all sides. "I can't move boss! What happened?! What do we do!?"
"Seriously, how troublesome." The third hooded man looks up lazily at the old man; his open cloak showed his hand formed in a seal. "Did it really have to turn out this way?" He sighs and looks at the second hooded man. With one look in exchange, the second man raises his hand once more releasing small bugs into the air. The third hooded man releases his hands, undoing the seal, and frees the men.
"Waaaahh!" The rowdy men begin to squirm as the mass amount of bugs lift them into the air; hovering them off the ground and out of the tavern.
"Seriously, I just wanted to rest a bit. This is much too troublesome." Shikamaru gets up from his seat and puts down his hood.
With buzzing bugs around his extended arm, Shino also gets up from his seat. "I fairly warned them. It was their choice not to listen." He says as he walked towards the exit.
"People like that don't like to listen." Sasuke says as he grabs his katana from under the table. The three Konoha shinobi make their way outside. The rowdy men detained by Shino's bugs squirm about furiously trying to escape.
Near the edge of town rested a small and quaint inn. An older woman blushes excitedly at the front desk as she calls out to a young customer. "I'll prepare the bath while you are gone." She watches the cloaked man leave; fanning herself she exhales loudly.
"Mother, who was that young man?" A young woman, around her twenties, walks into the foyer with a basket full of clean towels.
Walking over to her daughter she takes hold of the full basket. "I don't know. He said he and his group of friends were travelling and needed a nights stay. Let's just hope his friends are as beautiful as him."
"Mother!" Her daughter squeals in embarrassment.
The Woman and her daughter walk down the corridor. "What? It's just us here! Who knows, one of them might even be your fated one. Now hurry we have to get the bath ready for them, they'll be here soon; it's getting dark."
"Seriously, deciding who'll go stake out a cheap inn by playing rock paper scissors?" The cloaked man scoffs to the side irritably. He makes his way down the shady main street and scans the many outdoor vendors and open bars. They said they weren't going far…Where could they have gone?
"Hey! You kids shouldn't be up this late!" An old man yells at a group of young kids running down the street.
"We heard there was a fight down at old man Sakito's tavern!" One of the boys yells at the old man as he runs excitedly backwards.
"Oumph." The cloaked man braces himself and looks over his shoulder. A group of boys run by him quickly.
"Oh! Sorry about that mister! Hey! Wait up!" The young boy runs earnestly behind his friends.
"Oh man! I heard those low life bandits totally got their butts whooped!" Another set young boys run past the cloaked man. "I bet they were shinobi! No farmer from this town could beat those bandits!"
The cloaked man continues walking in the same direction, calmly making his way down the main street as many more people run quickly past him. 'Fight? Tavern?...Shinobi?'
/FLASHBACK/
"YES! I'm safe!" Kiba pumps his arm excitedly as he hops away from the group.
"Same here." Sasuke says with a smirk before turning his back.
"Here as well." Shino takes a step back and places his hand into his pant pocket.
"Looks like it's down to us." Shikamaru lazily flicks his wrist, readying himself for his next move.
"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS." Shikamaru says in his usual 'This is troublesome' voice. Forming a fist with his hand Shikmaru cheekily smiles. "You lose."
Neji stands there with his hand forming scissors; he sighs and clicks his tongue. "Fine, I'll go look for an inn."
"Alright! Time to go exploring!" Kiba says while clasping his hands comfortably behind his head.
Shikamaru places his hands lazily in his pockets under his cloak. "Let's look for a tavern nearby."
"Nah, I want some snacks." Kiba says with a fanged grin.
Leaving first Neji turns his head and yells out. "Don't go too far! And don't cause trouble!"
"Yes, mother!" Kiba waves his hand in the air casually.
/END FLASHBACK/
"Tsk." Neji's steps quicken. "Those bastards wouldn't…" With an annoyed breath out Neji scans the street in front of him. "Byakugan!" His all seeing eyes peer through the groups of people lingering out in the street. 'Damn it! There!' His eyes close in on Shikamaru, Shino, Kiba, and Sasuke. He runs towards them at the speed of light with an obvious glare.
"Hey, did you get a good inn?" Kiba says with his hand in the air, his other hand holding a bag.
Out of breath Neji makes his way towards Kiba. "What happened?"
"Whaddya mean what happened?" Kiba asked back with his eyebrow raised. "I just went to go get some snacks…what's wrong?"
Neji shifts his sharp gaze towards Sasuke. "What. . Do?"
Taking a step forward Shino speaks. "Neji-san, please calm down. Unfortunately we just met with a small inconvenience at the tavern."
Taking a bite out of the banana in his hand Kiba perks up at the word inconvenience. "Inconvenience?" He says with his half filled mouth. "Did you guys get into a fight?!" His eyes widen and he looks at Shikamaru. "Why didn't you guys get me?!"
Shikamaru takes and step forward and begins to walk. "Now, now it wasn't a big deal. We finished and left before a crowd started to form so…"
Twisting around quickly, Neji follows Shikamaru. "Not a big deal? We're just lucky none of us are wearing our forehead protectors and flak jackets. If we were wearing them, they would've known what village we were from." Taking a breath inward he continues, "We've just finished a mission; we need to stay in this town for just one peaceful night and you all couldn't stay still!?" Neji huffs angrily and stomps ahead of the group.
"Geez." Kiba says with the last bite of his banana in his mouth. "So, you guys really got in a fight?" He scans Sasuke while walking beside him. "You guys don't look scuffed up at all. Were they small fry?" He chuckles mischievously.
"Just a small group of bandits." Shino says as he pushes up his glasses. "Apparently they've been wreaking havoc on the town recently."
"Aw, man! I wish I was there." Kiba says in disappointment.
"They won't be coming back for sure. Well at least not til their injuries heal…and that could take more than a couple months." Shikmaru says with his hands in his pockets.
Kiba jogs toward Shikmaru. "Whoa, you guys really did a number on them huh?"
"Heh, not really us. More like Sasuke did a number on them." Shikmaru chuckles.
"Is this the place?" Sasuke walks past Shikamaru and towards Neji who's leaning against the inns sign placed outside in front of the entrance. Without a word Neji walks into the building leading the group inside.
"Oh my! You've come back with your friends so quickly!" The old woman rushes out from the corridor to greet them. Her eyes light up at the sight of the fine looking men before her. Neji nods his head and smiles politely.
"Well, your room is down this way." The old woman leads them down the corridor and to the third room on the right. "The bath is still heating up and should be ready in about twenty minutes." Sliding the large door open she steps aside. "I hope the size of this room will suit all your needs. Please have a pleasant stay." She bows politely and takes her leave fanning her cheeks as she makes her way back down the corridor.
"Wah~ this place is fancy!" Kiba tosses the small bag in his hand onto the table in the middle of the room and jumps onto a pile of folded futons in the corner. "Help yourselves out to the stuff in the bag." He mumbles as his face sinks into a soft futon.
"Good job on finding this place Neji." Shikmaru says as he lays down on his side parallel to the table. Neji sits down on the tatami covered floor and rummages through his personal bag; ignoring Shikmaru's compliment. Taking off his cloak Sasuke drapes it on top of his katana, leaning it against the wall.
Shino takes off his cloak and sits at one end of the table. Opening the small bag on the table he takes out the many snacks Kiba bought around the marketplace.
"Here." Neji tosses a small plastic bag onto the table as he sits opposite of Shino. Shikmaru lazily gets up and curiously opens the bag. "Where did you get these?"
Sitting with his arms crossed Neji replies. "I bought them before I started looking for an inn. Eat."
"What is it?" Sasuke asks while walking over to the table.
Shino leans over the table to take a closer look. "Meat buns."
"Meat buns!?" Kiba excitedly says, he jumps up and rushes to the table side. Shikamaru looks at the snacks bought by Kiba. "Meat buns, beats bruised fruit and cracker snacks."
"Hey, you don't have to eat them if you don't want to." Kiba barks defensively while grabbing one of the meat buns.
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Finishing up the rest of the snacks and meat buns Shino and Kiba laze around the room while Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke head to the inn's bath house. Making their way deeper down the corridor they pass two young women, in their yukata's, just coming back from the woman's bath. The women politely stand to the side letting the men pass by.
"Man, you guys really know how to make a guy feel bad." Shikmaru says with disdain.
Looking over his shoulder Neji raises his eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
Shikamaru whips his towel over his shoulder. "Every time I go somewhere with you two all the girls around turn into putty."
"No they don't." Neji rolls his eyes and looks ahead at Sasuke's back. "And if they do, it's this guys fault."
Sasuke lets out a scoff. "Do you want to be the cause of making putty every now and then Shikamaru?" He says wittily.
"Hah." Neji let's out as they near the men's bath.
"Tsk…whatever, I shouldn't have said something so troublesome." Shikmaru takes his towel off from his shoulder as they enter the men's bath. "There really is no one here." He says as he looks at the empty cubbies in the change room.
After getting out of their clothes they each enter the steamy bath house. Immediately they all go for a soak in the large bath of hot water. Sasuke's shoulders relax and he sinks and inch deeper into the water. Shikmaru lets out a sigh and sinks himself shoulder deep into the water. He covers his eyes with a small towel while tipping his head backward and resting it on the baths ledge. Sitting chest deep in the water Neji shuts his eyes and tips his head side to side, cracking his neck.
The door slides open and through the steamy fog walk in Shino and Kiba with towels tied around their waists.
"Whoa, it's so empty in here." Kiba says happily while scanning the large bath area. Shino quietly climbs into the bath and soaks himself until the water hits his shoulders. Causing a large wave Kiba abruptly enters and lets out a relaxed and elongated "Ah" as the hot water hit's his skin. Neji looks up at the Inuzuka and notices multiple red marks along his collarbone.
"Those are not bug bites." The Hyuuga says with a teasing smirk. Interested at the sudden remark Shikmaru removes the towel covering his eyes and looks at Kiba. "Whoa. Definitely not bug bites." Equally interesting Sasuke turns his head to look at Kiba.
With a red face Kiba sinks deeper into the water. "They're nothing."
"Yeah, we're not buying it." Shikmaru says with a raised eyebrow.
"So you've been hiding someone?" Neji says with a cheekily.
"Not at all!" Kiba raises his voice. "And for some guys who are married, you guys sure seem pretty lame."
"I'm not married." Neji says in his defense.
"Technically, you are. You've been with Ten ten for so long; everyone can see the ball and chain around your ankle." Kiba says fiercely.
"That's not true." Neji says while looking towards Shikamaru for reassurance.
The lazy shinobi diverts his eyes and looks at Kiba. "Temari doesn't leave those kinds of marks." He says while placing the small towel onto the top of his head.
Looking to prove himself right Kiba quickly puts his sights onto Sasuke. "And you Uchiha, what's your reason?"
"Hinata doesn't need to mark her territory." He says coolly.
"Heh, you guys are lame." Kiba scoffs and continues to defend himself. "Who cares if I'm hiding anyone, I'm still technically single."
"Well, just don't show up one day married." Shikamaru says resting his head back on the ledge again. "At least introduce her first." He says before laying his small towel over his eyes.
"If anything Shino will beat me to the altar." Kiba say bitterly.
"Shino?" Neji says in surprise. Shino continues to sit quietly in the hot bath.
"Ah, right." Shikamaru chuckles and his body trembles, causing ripples in the water. "Temari told me that you have a fan club in the Sand village."
"What!?" Neji says astonished.
"Every time we go out on a mission together this guy has women flocking to him." Kiba places his elbow on the baths ledge and rests his head on the palm of his hand. "Seriously, why do women like the quiet ones." Kiba glares at Sasuke and then at Shino.
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At the same time, back in Konoha. Hinata was at the Uchiha home along with Temari.
"Here, some water." Temari takes a seat beside Hinata on the couch. "It's so strange how you suddenly got hit with the heavy hitting symptoms right when Sasuke started going back to work." She says patting Hinata on the back.
After a long and heated conversation with Naruto, Sasuke had been able to return to work three days earlier. He had been gone for only a day and a half and Hinata's symptoms suddenly started to flare up. Temari had been asked by Sasuke to stay with Hinata while he was away, taking somewhat of a midwife position for Hinata.
"Garbage can." Hinata places the glass of water onto the coffee table and places one hand over her mouth. Temari quickly grabs a small plastic bag lined garbage can and hands it to her. Hanging her head over the garbage can, she spits out the taste of residual stomach acid that lingered in her mouth from her earlier throw up.
Lightening up the mood, Temari lets out a chuckle. "I guess having that crab you wanted for dinner wasn't the best idea huh?"
Hinata barely allows a smile to creep on her face as the thought of the crab they had earlier makes her vomit into the garbage can. Temari calmly rubs and pats Hinata's back, while trying hard to hold back her own gag reflex.
"Just a bit more, let it all out." Temari says calmly while looking to the side, diverting her eyes from the vomit.
With one more purge of her dinner into the garbage can she wipes her mouth with a napkin Temari had given her beforehand. Hanging her head over the Garbage can for a moment more, she spits out one last time and raises her head. She looks at Temari with a sweet smile and watery eyes.
"Thanks for being here." Her words muffled as she covers her mouth with the napkin.
"No problem, I'm glad I can be of some help." Temari smiles back. "I'll go make some ginger tea and get some crackers ready, okay?"
Hinata nods her head and leans back, looking up to the ceiling she lets out a breath. Placing her hand on her stomach she closes her eyes. As soon as daddy's gone this happens…You're going to be a daddy's girl…or boy aren't you?
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Sasuke and Neji were the last ones to leave the bath as the others finished earlier. While making their way out of the men's bath Neji draped a towel around his neck. "So, what really happened earlier?"
"We already told you." Sasuke says as he holds his towel at his side.
"What really happened?" Neji says seriously.
"We met with an inconvenience, that's all." Sasuke swings his towel in sync with his steps.
Neji sighs and rubs his right temple. "You have to stop this habit of not be able to sit still."
Sasuke looks at Neji with a scowl. "What?"
"It was obviously you who started the whole thing. Shikmaru's too lazy and Shino's not confrontational." Neji stares at Sasuke with a hardened expression.
Sasuke scoffs, "Are you lecturing me right now?"
"Yeah, I am. You can't do stuff like this anymore." Neji switches his gaze and looks forward. "Next time they might not just be bandits. Even you can get hurt badly."
Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Why is this bothering you so much?"
Neji whips his towel angrily off his neck. "You're having a child Sasuke, and not just any child. Hinata's child."
Sasuke shoots an irritated look to Neji. "It's not like I'm going to die from putting a group of small-fry bandits into their place."
"You don't get the point." Neji raises his voice. Taking a breath in to calm himself he walks ahead and makes his way to their room first.
Sasuke let out a tired sigh. He did get the point, but hearing it from Neji was what irked him the most. While walking to the room he met with Shino who was walking towards him. Shino had a small bag of oranges and was making his way back to the room also.
"Where'd you go?" Sasuke asks him curiously, while looking at the bag in Shino's hand.
"I went for a walk." Shino says calmly. Sasuke looks up at Shino and then again back to the bag. "On my way back inside a two women handed me these. Why you ask? I'm not so sure myself." Sasuke smirks and opens the sliding door to their room. Kiba wasn't lying when he said Shino was popular. The two men enter the room and Shino shuts the door behind him.
"What's that?" Kiba say as he lays stomach down on his futon.
"Oranges." Shino says, placing the bag on the table; he makes his way to his futon. Kiba shifts in his place and turns to Shino. "You bought oranges?"
Getting into his futon Shino looks at Kiba. "No, they were given to me."
Kiba rolls his eyes and shoves his face flat into his pillow.
"Given to you?" Shikmaru asks as he lay in his futon.
"Fan girls." Sasuke says quickly before slipping under his blanket.
"No way." Shikamaru chuckles.
Kiba raises his head and turns to Shikmaru. "I told you, I wasn't lying when I said he was popular."
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It was late morning in Konoha and Hinata was already hung over her toilet bowl. 'Really, this is just not stopping.' After waking up to the smell of maid's miso soup her nausea immediately kicked in. With her senses heightened she constantly felt nauseous at the most simple everyday things.
"Hinata? You in here?" Temari calls out from outside the bedroom door. Wiping her mouth with toilet paper Hinata calls out weakly. "Yeah, in the bathroom; come in."
Temari opens the door and walks through the bedroom and sees Hinata hunched over the toilet bowl.
"Okay, I picked up some vitamins from Shizune, she said they'll help with the morning sickness. Also, here are the lemon drop candies you wanted, and…" Temari digs to the bottom of the bag. "Hold on…wait, ah…here a bag of steaming hot meat buns."
Hinata smiles happily, she had been eating and craving meat buns and lemon drop candies for the past couple days. Strangely meat had been the one thing she could still take down deliciously. Hinata stands up and makes her way to the sink to rinse her mouth.
"I'll go put these away." Temari says, turning around.
"Could you leave out a meat bun…or two?" Hinata says shyly.
"Sure thing." Temari leaves the room. Making her way down the corridor she looks through the bag to make sure she didn't forget to buy anything.
"Yo."
Temari looks up and see's a fully cloaked Sasuke and Shikmaru standing at the door. "Hey." She says ever so casually.
"Where's Hinata?" Sasuke asks while taking off his shoes.
"In the en suite bathroom." Temari makes her way to the kitchen.
"Sit down." Sasuke gestures Shikmaru to take a seat in the living room. Shikamaru takes off his shoes and Sasuke makes his way to the bedroom.
"Hinata?" He calls out as he nears the door.
"In here."
Sasuke walks into the room and sees Hinata standing in the bathroom wiping her mouth dry. "Hey." He says smoothly.
"Hi." Her voice comes out muffled from behind the towel.
"You feeling alright?" Sasuke tilts his head to the side and places his bag on top of the chest of drawers while walking towards her.
Putting the towel down Hinata walks towards him. "I've been having morning sickness, that's all." Sasuke leans into her. "Don't kiss me." She says while blocking her mouth with her hand. Sasuke smirks and kisses the hand covering her mouth. Hinata's eyes curve cutely as she smiles.
"When's your next mission?" Hinata asks as the two make their way out the bedroom.
"Not for another two days." Sasuke says walking into the living room. Shikamaru was sitting on the couch as Temari placed a plate with two hot meat buns on the table for Hinata.
"Hello." Hinata greets Shikmaru sweetly.
"Hey, how've you been holding up?" Shikamaru asks as he reaches for the tea Temari had brought out for him.
"It's thanks to Temari that I've been holding up well." Hinata says while taking a seat.
Sasuke takes a seat opposite of the Nara couple. "Thanks Temari."
Smiling kindly Temari answers, "No problem."
"How was the mission?" Hinata asks quickly before chomping on one of her meat buns.
"The usual." Sasuke says calmly.
"It's not like anything exciting happened." Shikamaru said placing his cup of tea onto the table. Temari looks at Shikamaru. "When you say it like that, it definitely sounds like something happened."
Looking back at Temari, Shikmaru shakes his head, "Nothing happened."
With the meat bun in her mouth Hinata looks at Sasuke curiously. "Really?" She says suspiciously with her mouth full. Turning to face her, Sasuke shakes his head. "Nothing unusual." Hinata raises and eye brow and shares a glance with Temari. Sasuke glares at Shikamaru for saying something stupidly obvious, and raising the girls' suspicions. Embarrassed, Shikamaru diverts his eyes from Sasuke's.
"Well, since you're back I guess we should get going." Shikamaru says while getting up from his seat.
Hinata moves forward in her seat. "Won't you rest a bit more before leaving?"
Sasuke gives Shikamaru the stink eye. Shikamaru hesitates to answer. "Ah…"
"I'm sure Shikamaru would rather rest at his home, plus, I'm back so Temari can take her leave now." Sasuke says rather quickly, trying to divert the women's attention from Shikamaru's hesitated answer.
"I suppose your right." Hinata nods her head in agreement. "Thanks for everything Temari, you're a life saver." Hinata places her bun on the plate and stands to give Temari a hug. "I'll help you go get your things." The two women leave into the back corridor and head to the guestroom Temari was staying in.
"Sorry about that…" Shikamaru says with his hand on the back of his head as he makes his way to the door.
Following behind, Sasuke shakes his head and lets out a sigh of relief.
"Okay, I'll be going now…"Temari's voice draws nearer to the men as the women make their way out the corridor.
Hinata pats Temari on the arm. "Thanks again. I mean it"
"Don't worry about it; call me if you ever need me again okay?" Temari and Hinata walk towards the front door. The couples say their goodbye's one last time and take their separate ways. Closing the front door Sasuke turns around to see Hinata making her way back to her meat buns at the table. He chuckles internally and makes his way towards her. "It's funny you're having meat buns."
Hinata looks up at him as she places her half eaten meat bun into her mouth. She sits and raises an eyebrow at him as she takes a bite.
"I had some yesterday." Sasuke sits opposite of her. Hinata swallows and confesses. "I've been eating these none stop since you left." She pouts and takes another bite. Sasuke shoots her a smirk and stands up.
Hinata shifts the food in her mouth into her right cheek. "Where you going?" She asks.
"Kitchen, you're making me hungry." He says as he walks down the corridor. Hinata giggles and continues eating her meat bun.
Sasuke comes out of the kitchen with onigiri in hand. Hinata looks over her shoulder, eyes widening. "STOP."
Sasuke stops in his tracks. "What wrong?"
"That's a tuna onigiri right?" She frowns as she looks at it.
Sasuke looks at her curiously, "Yeah…it is…"
"You have to eat it in the kitchen." She shakes her head and shuts her eyes.
"Why?" Sasuke asks taking a step forward.
"Sasuke-kun…" She covers her mouth. "I'm serious; I don't want to throw up the food I just ate. I'm sorry, but I can't stand the fishy smell right now." She turns around and places her other hand on her chest.
"Okay...then…" Fascinated and dumbfounded Sasuke takes his leave and goes back into the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen he rests against the counter, his eyes scan the room while he chews and he notices a small note on the fridge. Curious, he makes his way over the fridge. Lifting the bottom of the paper he reads from the top.
'Sasuke—
Hinata's pregnancy symptoms started to kick in while you were away.
Food Hinata can't stomach: Seafood and shellfish. She can't stand the fishy smell either; it'll make her hurl. Miso, again she can't stand the smell. The rest, you'll have to just watch her and see how it goes.
Food she's been okay with so far: Meat buns, particularly the ones sold at the place across Ichiraku ramen. Lemon drop candies from the small convenience store across Ino's flower shop. Plain crackers: they help her with her upset stomach and nausea. Meat, she can't stand the smell of cooking meat but she can eat it when it's cooked and ready. Plain white rice as usual. Make some ginger tea for her every now and then especially if she's been nauseous, I left the recipe on the counter.
Good Luck!
-Temari '
Sighing to himself, he opens the fridge and looks at all the stocked meat on hand. He pops the last of his onigiri in his mouth and grabs the ginger from out of the fridge.
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Relaxing out on the engawa, Hinata looks at the blossoms of the plum tree in their back courtyard. Resting against a column she places her hand on her stomach and sits quietly. A meow of a neighborhood cat mews from the other side of the stone wall, the chirping of birds a flutter zoom around the property. Hinata looks at the courtyard and smiles to herself. Thinking about their growing family, she smiles to herself solemnly. Footsteps near her from behind and she looks over her shoulder as Sasuke nears her.
"Ginger tea?" He speaks softly while setting the tray next to her. She smiles gently as he takes a seat beside her. She takes in a breath of fresh air and looks at him with unease. Sasuke raises an eyebrow at her curiously.
"I hate this…" She says disappointingly. Sasuke stares at her with a blank face. She continues, "I can really smell the tuna…" She says unwillingly.
Sasuke turns his head to the side and chuckles. "Seriously?" He tilts his head at her. "On my breath?" Hinata nods her head with a small pout. Sasuke gets up and walks further down the engawa, separating them by one large section; he leans against the column nearest to him."Now?"
Hinata shakes her head. "It's lingering…But that's far enough." She says with a smile. "Thank you for the tea." She places her two hands on the side of the tea cup and brings it towards her lips. Sliding down the column Sasuke sits down in his new spot and looks over at her as she blows at the tea. Watching nervously as she takes her first sip, he rests the side of his head against the column.
"Mhmm." She hums happily while returning him a satisfied look. He shuts his eyes gently and shows a self-satisfied smile.
"Sasuke-kun…" She says while placing her tea cup back onto the tray. Sasuke opens his eyes and looks down the engawa at her.
"I've been thinking." She pauses and looks down at her lap. "I want to be a part of our child's life. I want to take him or her to school, I want to pack the bento, I want to do these things. I want to be a mother." Sasuke looks at her intensely as he listens to her. "When I was growing up…after my mother passed...Father was never around…I always had other people around, maids and caretakers. I want us to raise this child…on our own…" She cuts her words short and looks back at Sasuke.
Sasuke nods his head agreeingly. "I understand."
Hinata looks back down at her lap nervously. "I…This morning I let the maid go." She says sadly, her voice shaking. "It's hard…because she's done so much for us…for you…" Hinata's hands clench into fists on her lap. "I feel so horrible…Firing her without your consent…She's done so much…" Her voice cracks and tears begin to stream down her face. Sasuke gets up and walks towards her.
"Stop." Hinata mumbles shakily. She lets out a small shaky chuckle. "You smell fishy…" She covers her mouth and giggles, crying at the same time as her eyes curve. Sasuke stops and stares at her blankly, wanting to hold her.
"And then, when I think about how much this can trouble you…I feel even more horrible. How can I cook for you when I can't even stand the smell of certain things? I just…" Hinata hiccups. "I should've thought this through…" Wiping the tears off her cheeks Hinata begins to sob quietly. "I thought I'd be okay on my own, but when I really think about it…I'm not…capable…"
Sasuke sits down and looks at her. "Hinata." He speaks her name softly.
She wipes her tears again. Doing her best to hold back her sobbing, she hiccups and looks at him with watery eyes.
He tells her gently, "It's fine."
Her eyes curve and more tears stream down her face. "No…it's not okay."
Sasuke lets out a small smile and starts again. "It's okay. I can cook for myself, and you."
"It's not that simple." Hinata says irritatedly, she shoots him a bitter look. "I'm so stupid. I just…" Hinata exhales loudly.
"If you really want, I'll go and talk to the maid tomorrow." Sasuke says with a tender voice. Hinata pushes a lock of her hair behind her ear and looks to the side.
"We'll raise this baby together like a real family. You can make the bento's, take him or her to school, you and I can do it all together. But for now, the maid can help with the small things." Sasuke leans in and rests his hand on the floor in front of him. "You are this child's mother. I am this child's father. The maid is the maid. We will raise our child, no one else."
Hinata sniffs loudly and looks down at her tea sadly.
"I'll tell the maid we'll need her services until the baby is born. Okay?" Sasuke lowers his head to look at her. Looking up; Hinata smiles and nods with another sniffle.
Getting up from the floor, Sasuke takes a breath in and looks at Hinata. "Let's go inside."
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Looking at her naked reflection in the mirror after a shower, Hinata turns her body to the side and notices her small stomach bump. She smiles and changes positions, looking at her stomach at different angles. Placing her hand flat underneath her breasts she smooth's her hand downward, tracing her protruding stomach. She exhales and shuts her eyes, keeping her hand still at the base of her stomach. You're so quiet. Hinata giggles to herself. I don't blame you; mommy and daddy are quiet too. She opens her eyes and puts on her thin bath yukata. Stepping out of the bathroom she walks into the bedroom area to see Sasuke changing. With a straight face she walks past him and to her spot on the bed. With his back turned to her he continues to change, taking off his pants and grabbing his pajama pants out of his drawer. Hinata grabs a book about childbirth off her nightstand. Shizune had given it to her while Sasuke was away. Opening the book at the page marked with a corner fold Hinata looks up again at Sasuke. She analyzes his able-bodied self, scanning him up and down. Her insides begin to enflame at the sight of his Anbu tattoo. He walks away and disappears into the en suite. She leans against the head board and thinks of the first time she saw it.
It was long ago when she had been called out on a mission. She, along with Kiba and Shino(Who had not yet joined the Anbu) went out to the border that connected Konohagakure and Kusanogakure to deal with a group of rogue shinobi that were plotting against the Daimyo of Hi no kuni. After successfully infiltrating a small part of the village, the three Konoha shinobi caught the rogue group. Kiba, Shino and Hinata held onto the group at a clearing near the border; awaiting the arrival of an Anbu squad to take the group back for interrogation in Konoha.
/
With a quick blur the Anbu squad arrives, five men hidden behind different masks suddenly stood in front of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Kiba and Hinata hang back as Shino steps forward to talk to the Anbu members. With the scorching summer heat beating down on them, Kiba looks over his shoulder at Hinata. He notices her fatigue, and the sweat streaming down the sides of her face.
"There's a stream nearby, why don't you go cool off before we leave." Kiba says with a fanged smile. Reluctantly Hinata agrees and nods quietly. Activating her byakugan she scans the forest and soon finds the small stream Kiba told her about. Holding back her hair, Hinata ties it loosely. Making her way towards the edge of the rushing stream she cups her hand and places it in the cool water. After splashing her sweat riddled face, she looks up at the bright cloudless sky. Taking a small canteen out of her pack she fills it with water. With a gentle smile she gets up and makes her way back, passing a few trees and entering the forest she notices something at the corner of her eye. Stealthily, she hides. Peeking out from behind a large tree trunk she sees an Anbu clad man walking to the edge of the stream. With a hawk mask on he looks down at the water. Whipping herself back into her spot she hides again. Taking a deep breath she curiously peeks once more. The glare of the sun reflects off the metal of his protective armor on his forearm as he reaches upward to untie his mask. With the glare shining into her eyes, she notices the fresh looking tattoo on his bicep. Her eyes squint in curiosity as she concentrates all her energy into looking at the face of the Anbu clad man. Her eyes widen as the mask gets removed. Uchiha Sasuke stood a mere six feet away from her. She felt her saliva lump in her throat. He had just recently returned and she had yet to meet with him. The two had never even spoken before. He bends down and places his hand into the water, bringing it up to his mouth to take a drink. Hinata unintentionally squeaks aloud nervously. Sasuke shoots up and looks in her direction. She flees as if he was chasing her and makes her way back to the group. Out of breath she begins to slow her pace as she arrives closer to her team and walks over to Kiba's side
"Are you alright?" Kiba asks worriedly.
"Yeah…I-I'm fine." Hinata stutters. Going into her pack she takes out the small canteen. "Here." She hands it to Kiba. After catching her breath, she's startled as one of the Anbu men shout loudly.
"Buntaicho! You've arrived." The Anbu men stand respectively in an organized manner at the arrival of the hawk masked man. Hinata gasps internally, trying not to let her shock show on her face.
Kiba hands Hinata the small canteen. "Thanks, it really hit the spot." Hinata nods her head nervously, hoping Sasuke hadn't heard Kiba. She quickly places it back into her pack and stands there quietly, looking at Sasuke's Anbu tattoo.
/
"Hey." Sasuke climbs onto the bed, tilting his head to the side. "You alright?"
Hinata blinks hard and looks at Sasuke. "Yeah…I'm fine." She smiles uncomfortably and puts her book back onto her nightstand. With her cheeks pink she turns off her lamp, leaving only Sasuke's lamp on to light the room. Sasuke clicks his tongue suspiciously and reaches for the paper work on his nightstand. With her back turned to Sasuke she begins to reminisce about his tattoo once more.
Closing her eyes she remembers the times when they had first started seeing each other; the times when she'd go insane and drool at the sight of his arms and tattoo. How a quick glance of his tattoo and arms would just light her carnal desire to a maximum. Hinata chuckles to herself as she realizes that her obsession with his arms and tattoo were ignited way back. Back when she saw him at the edge of the stream that one hot summer day.
"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke takes his eyes off his paperwork and looks down at her. Hinata turns around onto her other side, looking up at Sasuke. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about a hot summer's day."
Sasuke smirks and lets out a deep chuckle from within his throat. "Ah…" He looks back at his paperwork. "The stream." He says with a smile.
Hinata's eyes light up and she quickly raises herself up into sitting position. "You…You knew it was me?" Her mouth hangs open in astonishment.
Sasuke places his paperwork onto his lap and shifts to look at her. "You were extremely obvious back then."
"Why did you take your mask off then? If you knew I was there you should've kept your face hidden." Hinata says with fervor.
"Knowing how quiet a person you were…I knew you wouldn't blab…plus, I was thirsty." Sasuke shoots her a playful smile.
Hinata shifts and sits against the headboard. "And you never thought of telling me?"
Sasuke picks up his paperwork and places it on his night stand. "You never asked." Sasuke turns off his lamp and slides underneath the covers. Hinata follows suit and both of them lie on their backs and face the ceiling.
"Hm." Hinata hums. "Sasuke-kun…" She says gently.
Sasuke shifts around. "Hn?"
"Be honest…okay?" Hinata says carefully. Sasuke remains quiet. Placing her hands on her stomach she asks, "What did you think of me?...I mean…back then."
A moment passes before Sasuke answers. "Back then…I thought you were helplessly in love with my best friend. That's pretty much all I thought…that is, until the day at the stream. Then, I thought. She really needs to practice her stealth." Hinata giggles aloud. "And then…after that, when I went back to the group…I noticed your hair was tied up, and after getting a closer look at you I thought to myself 'elegant'. Sasuke stops and Hinata hears him take in a breath.
"Hmm…I see." Hinata mumbles.
Sasuke closes in on Hinata and drapes his arm gently on her stomach. "You're stealth has improved greatly." He chuckles against her arm and kisses her lightly. Hinata giggles and raises her hand to caress the back of his head. Sasuke pulls away and lies onto his back once more. Hinata turns to lie on her side. She kisses his arm and traces his bicep gently with her fingertips before setting her hand gently on his arm. "Goodnight."