Revival
A/N: I think I re-wrote the beginning about ten times…I hope I got it right –crosses fingers-. Also, I really tried imagining Sasuke and Naruto raising a child together. I think Sasuke would fawn over Miko-chan more because she's a Uchida and Naruto would be awkward with kids in general. So that's why Sasuke's more "motherly" when it comes to this particular baby. And thank you SO much for your reviews. They really are food for the soul.
Chapter 2: Two Ninjas and a Baby
Putting the freshly lit match against the tip of his cigarette, Asuma inhaled and let the smoke fill his insides. He leaned against the doorway to the darkened nursery. Soft music came from an old music box that Kurenai usually kept at her house. The soothing notes resembled a light heartbeat or soft rain. He sighed, letting the smoke travel out of his mouth and into the air.
"Asuma…." Kurenai called from another room. Asuma grunted in response and made his way over. When he saw her, his mouth opened and his cigarette fell onto the floor, creating a black burn mark.
Kurenai was wearing lingerie. Newly-bought, he noted. It was a lacy corset with a deep v-neck that hugged her curves. He tried to stop himself from drooling. "Do you like?" She asked, striking a "come hither" pose.
"Mmmmm…yeah." He said. Should they really do it here? In someone else's house? In someone else's bed?
Those thoughts were quickly dismissed as Kurenai mashed her lips against his.
Minutes later, they were on the bed getting hot and heavy. Clothes were tossed, including the lingerie. Asuma decided to heat things up when he heard a cry. "What was that?"
"Hmm?" Kurenai blinked.
"Is that what's-her-name?" Asuma groaned.
"You mean the baby?" Kurenai thought a moment. "Forget her and just do me." She pulled Asuma in for another kiss while Mikoto cried in the next room.
Once the deed was done, Asuma lit a post-coital cigarette and handed it to Kurenai. "Oh, I don't smoke."
"You should. It's good for the soul."
"Ha! And bad for the lungs." She rested her head against his shoulder. "At least we don't have to watch the baby tomorrow. My team will take care of her."
They laughed together, imagining how else to torture their students.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"No!" Sasuke screamed and sat up, breathing heavily. He blinked and took in his surroundings. He was still in the woods, sleeping next to Naruto. Sakura and Kakashi were nearby. He was still on his mission.
"Had that dream again?" Kakashi asked, poking the fire with a stick. It was his turn to keep watch.
Sasuke's eyes widened. "We've got to go back." He mentally vomited when he thought of Kurenai and Asuma doing the nasty in his bed, of all places!
"We're heading back tomorrow." Kakashi said and leaned back against the tree, trying to get some sleep. "Well, I guess it's your turn."
Sasuke wanted to groan. He hated keeping watch but it was for the best, seeing as he wouldn't be able to sleep anyways.
He wondered how Mikoto was doing. She was three months old now and quite pudgy with soft pink skin. Her blue eyes were now fading into a more mature inky color. And her sparse black hair had become fuller—Sakura sometimes put ribbons or bows in it. Though he would never admit to anyone—even Naruto—he had come to care for the little girl more than he expected.
As soon as he noticed that the sky was getting brighter, he nudged Naruto. Naruto sat up, dazed. "Why do you always wake me up first?" He whined.
"Because I love you." Sasuke said and moved to wake up Sakura and Kakashi. Naruto lay back down in the cool grass and threw an arm over his eyes, expecting to get at least forty-five seconds more before—
"Naruto!" Sakura kicked him in the ribs. Okay, so it was fifteen seconds. "We're leaving."
He glared, "You don't have to do it like that!"
"Well obviously I do!" She huffed and crossed her arms. Sakura had never been a normal person.
A moment later, they were hopping from branch to branch on their way home, finally. This mission had almost been tedious and had lasted a long, drawn-out week. Naruto's mind wandered. Maybe, Iruka-sensei was well enough to buy him some ramen.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
It was a very beautiful day in Konoha. The sun was peeking through the clouds and there was a soft breeze that made a lovely "hushing" sound as it passed through the leaves.
Asuma wondered how much longer Team 7 would be. It had already been a week—an awfully long week. He had to give up smoking and instead sucked on lollipops. Dozens a day.
"You eat any more of those and you're gonna get flabby." Kurenai said, patting his stomach.
Asuma rolled his eyes, "Well it's better than going cold turkey." He remembered the last time he tried. He lasted two and a half days, respectively, before he started biting people's heads off. Chouji was still sore about that potato chip.
"Why don't we go for a walk?" Kurenai suggested and rocked Mikoto who was red in the face from screaming so much the past couple of days. The only time she didn't cry was when she was being held. They took turns staying awake all night rocking Mikoto back and forth. If taking care of a baby was this hard, Asuma decided, then he wasn't going to have one.
"Sure, why not?" Asuma rubbed his temples and then unwrapped another lollipop. A cherry flavored one.
While Asuma tried to unfold the stroller, Kurenai worked on dressing Mikoto in a warmer outfit but the determined infant struggled with every button. "Why do they make these outfits so difficult?! Sadistic bastards." Kurenai gave up and opted to wrap her in a warm blanket.
As they walked through town, Mikoto screamed. The stroller wasn't uncomfortable, she just wanted to be held and both Kurenai and Asuma knew this. "It's your turn." Kurenai said.
"I'll pass." He said casually.
Kurenai gritted her teeth and spoke in a low, dangerous voice that would've made the third Hokage crawl with fear in his grave. "FineJust don't ever expect sex again."
"Oh yeah?" Asuma said right back in a booming voice. "Well, I don't need it because I don't want you getting pregnant."
"You and your hand have fun together!" She spat angrily.
"Oh Kurenai. Asuma. How nice to meet bothof you here." Iruka smiled and waved politely.
Asuma froze and blushed. "I hope you have recovered from your…eh…cold?"
"Yes, yes. Ahem." Iruka coughed and scratched the scar on his nose. "Has Miko-chan been good for you?"
"A dream." Kurenai said stiffly.
Iruka grinned brightly. "So you won't mind if I take over, right?" He bent down, "Oh, Miko-chan it's yoor Iwuka. Are yoo happy tuh see meee?" He said in a sing-song voice. Mikoto let out a little squeal of excitement and lifted her arms, begging to be held. "C'mhere yoo pwetty wittle baby gurl." He picked her up and bounced her in his arms.
Asuma and Kurenai's eyes widened. Baby talk? From a ninja? Like they'd be caught dead doing that.
"Babwah." Mikoto gurgled joyfully.
"We are gonna 'ave sooo much fun!" He tickled her feet and she giggled. "Wait til yoor daddies get here!"
Deciding it was the best time to make a quick getaway, they dashed behind a tree and began to stroll, hand in hand. Finally, it was over.
"I knew it!" Sasuke screamed and pointed accusingly.
Both Asuma and Kurenai turned a magnificent shade of crimson. After the deer-in –headlights effect wore off, Kurenai rapidly belted out an excuse, "Uh…we weren't doing anything. We just bumped hands. Silly me. I'm such a klutz. We aren't even dating. Ha ha." She laughed awkwardly.
Sasuke crossed his arms and said sarcastically, "Uh-huh. So, where's Miko-chan. You left her in her crib by herself, didn't you?"
"No, she's—" Asuma started to explain.
"So she's with one of your students. Trying to get them to do all your dirty work, aren't you?" Kurenai and Asuma both started to explain but were cut off, once again.
"She's with me." Iruka said brightly. He stepped in just in time.
Sasuke breathed a sighed of relief, the anger flowed out of him. "Hn."
"Well, uh….we're going to go now. Not together, of course." Asuma said. They both walked away briskly in opposite directions.
Iruka eyed Sasuke, "I didn't think you were so protective of her."
"I'm not. She's just...just the last hope for the Uchida clan." Sasuke kicked at some dirt.
"Right. Okay." Iruka patted him on the head. "Well, I supposed you'd like to take her home."
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
At twelve months, Mikoto was able to take a few steps on her own before teetering and falling; she could scribble with crayons—courtesy of Sai—on walls, furniture and various mission reports.
However, she hadn't said her first word.
Sasuke was beginning to get nervous and began to consult the stacks of baby books. Most gave the same answer, "Every baby is different." Like that helped. He slammed the book shut and turned to Mikoto who was spitting out some baby food—carrots and peas.
"Dada. Da-da. Dada." He said slowly pronouncing each syllable with precision. Mikoto stared at him, wide eyed. The carrots and peas puree continued to dribble down her chin. Sasuke sighed and took a washcloth to wipe up the mess. "You could at least give Daddy one word. Any word."
"Mehmeh." She gurgled happily and knocked the spoonful of baby food away.
Sasuke looked out the window, wondering when Naruto would get back. He had left for a mission a few days earlier with Sakura, Sai and Yamato. Apparently some Sound ninjas were causing trouble and needed a harsh reprimand. If Naruto hadn't brought him back, he would be under Orochimaru's thumb—a Sound ninja.
Mikoto interrupted his thoughts with a fierce shriek. "What is it Miko-chan?" He said, slightly exasperated. "You want more?" He scooped out another spoonful of the orangish goop and held it near her lip. She squirmed in her high chair, making noises of discontent.
"You know she hates peas and carrots." Naruto said from behind. He handed Sasuke a jar of bananas. "Try that next time."
"She can't eat sweets all the time." Sasuke retorted sullenly. A hint of a smile played on Sasuke's lips. "You're back."
"You bet your ass I am." Naruto stretched and smiled at his dark-hair lover.
"Kiss me." Sasuke mouthed the words. Naruto grinned from ear to ear and kiss Sasuke softly. Wrapping his arms around Naruto's neck, Sasuke drew him in. This was unusual for Sasuke; he wasn't the one to beg with need. But he needed Naruto.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear. Sasuke's grip on Naruto hadn't loosened.
"I just missed you. So much." Sasuke said, burying his face in Naruto's shoulder.
"I'll find a babysitter for a few hours. Then you can have me all to yourself." Naruto kissed Sasuke's forehead and took Mikoto out of her high chair, cleaned her up and took her on the quest to find a babysitter.
He mentally made a list of all the people he could ask. Sakura was not an option—having just returned from a mission. There was always Shikamaru, Iruka, Kakashi, Sai and so on. Naruto decided to try his steadfast standbys, Iruka and Kakashi, but was quickly denied.
"You know we love Mikoto." Kakashi started to say, while reading Icha Icha. "But we watch her as much as you do." In fact, they were watching her at that moment. "If you don't watch she's going to call us Dada."
Naruto crossed more and more people off his list and suddenly felt like a door-to-door salesman—"Would you like to buy a baby?"
He had almost given up when he saw Hinata walking around. "Hinata!" He called out to her. She turned to look at him and turned cherry red.
"Na…ru….to…kun." She whispered, poking her fingers together. "Yes?"
"Hey, could you watch Miko-chan for a few hours? Sasuke and I would really like a quick break." Hinata found herself nodding and ended up with a baby in her arms and a diaper bag at her feet. "Thanks Hinata! You're the greatest!"
Her head spun from the glorious compliment. "See…you…Na…ru…to…kun." She then looked down at the one-year-old and saw inky black eyes look into hers. "Help….?" She said to the sky.
Meanwhile, Naruto leaped from rooftop to rooftop in attempt to get back to the Uchida complex faster. The large house was in sight and Naruto quickened his pace. They were on borrowed time now.
The blond ninja burst through the door and wrapped his arms around Sasuke. No words were spoken. Words weren't needed.
Their kisses were hungry and desperate. They made love slowly, treasuring the time they had together. Afterwards, Sasuke lay in Naruto's arms, his hand lazily tracing the seal on Naruto's stomach. "I wish we could stay like this forever." He said.
"I know, babe." Naruto said and kissed the top of Sasuke's head. Sasuke smiled contently and drifted off into sleep. Usually, he was not a heavy sleeper, but after the evening's exertions, Naruto was able to slip away.
He walked through Konoha, heading towards Hinata's home. The Hyuuga Complex was larger than the Uchida's. Its atmosphere was brighter too; in the sense that there were many people walking around.
He spotted Hinata and Mikoto on a bench. Kiba was next to them, laughing about something. He got a closer look. Mikoto was sitting in Hinata's lap and Akamaru was happily licking her face.
"Hey, uh, Kiba?" Naruto scratched his head. "Your dog doesn't have germs, right."
Both Kiba and Akamaru growled.
"Okay, Okay." Naruto laughed awkwardly. "So thanks Hinata for watching her." He went to pick up Miko-chan but he didn't realize that he was too close to Hinata.
"You'rewelcomeNaruto-kun!" She blurted out. She felt lightheaded. The last thing she could remember seeing was the sky.
Naruto blinked. "I dunno why she does that…" He muttered. He bounced Mikoto in his arms and said in a sing-song voice, "Did she act silly? Huh, baby?"
"Idiot." Kiba shook his head and tried to wake up Hinata who kept on mumbling "Naruto-kun".
The next day, Sakura came over for a visit. She was bright and bubbly, wearing a frilly red dress. She twirled in front of Sasuke, asking how it looked…did it make her look fat…wasn't she stunning and so on. Sasuke rolled her eyes. She hadn't been like this since she had a crush on him, which meant…
"It looks nice." Sasuke said, appeasing her. And then a mischievous grin covered his face, "Hot date tonight?"
"Yes—I mean—no, of course not, Sasuke!" She blushed. Her voice got quieter, "Is it obvious?" Sasuke nodded and Sakura buried her face in her hands.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, unaware of the conversation, "What's up with you?"
He received a punch from Sakura, "Don't ask stupid questions, jerk!"
Naruto gave Sasuke a look that said, "What'd I do?"
"You're so thick, Naruto." Sasuke threw an arm around his lover. "You don't even know about Hinata."
"Hinata? What about her?" He asked dumbly.
"Uh-huh. My point exactly." Sasuke said and tried to give Mikoto a spoonful of spinach baby food. She made a face and spit it out.
"You know she won't eat that." Naruto sighed, handing Sasuke a jar of bananas.
"She can't eat sweets all the time." Sasuke protested but knew Naruto was right.
Naruto chuckled, "Why don't you give her a bottle?"
"She needs to eat her vegetables."
"Aren't I glad I didn't have parents?" Naruto laughed. He grew up on a diet of instant ramen and candy.
"Hn." Sasuke said and opened the jar of bananas. As soon as Mikoto tasted the fruity goodness, she smiled.
"Da….da."
Sasuke stood up, knocking his chair over. "What? Sakura…did you hear that?"
Sakura blinked, confused. "Hear what?"
"Dada!" Mikoto said, this time with more confidence. Sasuke and Sakura let out a cheer.
"Naruto!" Sakura called. "Come hear this!"
Naruto came over and the trio leaned closely. Now that she had an audience she couldn't stop, "Dadadadadadadadadadadadadada!"
Naruto hugged Sasuke tightly and placed a firm kiss on his cheek. "Let's go tell Iruka-sensei."
"I'll pass." Sakura smiled politely. "I've got other engagements."
"Hopefully, 'engagement' will be the outcome!" Sasuke joked.
Naruto picked up Mikoto and raised her up into the air. "Dada!" She squealed happily.
The happy family trio made their way over to Kakashi and Iruka's apartment. But as soon as Iuka found out, Sasuke began to wish they hadn't told him. Iruka could barely contain himself. He grinned from ear-to-ear and he squirmed with excitement in his chair before leaping about.
"Oh my wittle Miko!" Iruka fawned. "You can speak!"
"Dada." Mikoto clapped her hands.
"We're going out for ramen tonight! It's on me!" Iruka cried cheerfully.
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By the time, Uchida Mikoto had reached her second birthday, she knew lots of words. Her favorite one was still "Daddy" and she used her tiny voice to get what she wanted. Her black hair had gotten longer and brushed her shoulders. She looked a lot like Itachi had as a child. Sometimes, Sasuke swore she even had inherited aspects of his personality. First of all, she was an "unconventional"—Sakura said—child with her quietness and ability to imagine. She didn't play with other kids but kept to herself, usually in her room.
Sasuke woke up to find a lump between him and Naruto. Curiously, he lifted the blanket up to get a closer look. And yes, it was what he expected it to be: a little girl with black hair curled up like a cat. He sighed and poked Naruto who had rolled over to the far side of the bed.
"Mmmm…." Came the sleepy groan.
"Mikoto slept with us again." Sasuke said. "Do we sleep that heavily?"
"Nooo…" Naruto mumbled. "We've just gotten used to it." He pulled the blanket over his head.
Sasuke wanted to chuckle at the thought but didn't for fear of waking up the two others. So lay there. It was a Saturday and it was a cool morning so being underneath the warm covers felt so good. That or a hot cup of tea.
Suddenly the lump—his daughter—started to stir. "Daddy?" He heard a small voice.
"Yes?" He said.
"I'm hungwy." She said.
Sasuke got out of bed and heard a slight moan from Mikoto. "Yes?" He said, looking at her. Her arms were outstretched signaling her desire to be held. He picked her up and she snuggled against him.
"Daddy?" She said.
"I want cocoa…with mawshmellos." She murmured.
"Ok." He sat her down in a chair and looked for around for it. "You know, why don't you play with someone today." He looked at her. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at the floor.
"No thfank you." She said quietly. Then she looked up, her eyes brightened. "Can I play wiff Iwuka-sensay?"
Sasuke sighed. It wasn't normal for her to be around just adults. As a child, Sasuke had always stayed close to home but he wanted her to at least have some friends and not end up like him or—he feared—Itachi. "I think he's teaching today."
"Oh." She said and he handed her the mug full of hot chocolate. She smiled.
A few minutes later, Naruto wobbled into the kitchen. "Up already?" He said, yawning.
"Good morning." Sasuke said and gave Naruto a little kiss on the cheek. "Ramen, again?" He complained when he saw Naruto pulled out a cup of instant noodles.
"Old habits die hard." Naruto mumbled sleepily.
"Hn." Sasuke said and sipped at his tea.
Later that afternoon, Mikoto was sneaking around the house. It was very quiet. Daddy was probably outside. She tiptoed into his room and looked around. Like most two-year-olds, she was very curious about everything.
The day before she has found a little metal box high up in her Daddy's closet. It was shiny but more importantly it was locked. It sparked her interest. She had stacked boxes and strained to reach on her tiptoes.
But she hadn't gotten it.
Now today was her next attempt. Instead of boxes, she spent all morning dragging a chair from the kitchen to her parents' room. It took a lot of work and she was red in the face from all the exertion but now she was tall enough.
Her fingertips brushed the edge of the box. She could feel its cool, smooth surface. Just a little bit farther and she would have it.
"What are you doing?" Came a voice, unusually cold.
Busted.
She jumped and looked guiltily at the floor. "Nuffin."
Her father, Sasuke, was angrier than that one time she had colored over her newly painted walls. His voice was low and mean and his eyes were narrowed to little slits. "What are you doing?" He asked again.
Tears crept up behind her eyelids. She could felt them stream down her cheeks. She covered her eyes. She didn't want Daddy to see her cry. She didn't want Daddy to be mad anymore. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" She repeated over and over, hoping that Daddy would say something.
But nothing happened.
"Sasuke! What the hell?" Naruto said when he heard the cry. "What'd you do?" Naruto rushed over to the chair where the little girl was standing and scooped her up in his arms. "Hey, babe, you're fine. No one's mad at you." He whispered into her hair.
"Nuh-uh. Daddy is!" Mikoto said between the sobs. "I-I-I wanted t-t-t-uh see the sh-sh-shiny box!"
Naruto shot Sasuke a glare. But Sasuke looked guilty enough already. He looked at the floor and his hands were buried in his pockets. "I…I think I left something outside." He left.
Naruto rocked Mikoto in his arms until her sobs stopped. Then he tried to explain. "Daddy just…has…" He thought some more. "A monster in that box. Yeah, a big scary one. And he doesn't want you to get hurt."
"A monster?" She asked. She imagined a big green one with large teeth and claws.
"Yeah. He was scared…not angry." This seemed to make sense to the little girl. She hopped off his lap and went outside to find something else interesting.
Naruto laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. Now he had to deal with Sasuke. Joy. Sasuke was outside, sitting on the porch with his face in his hands. "Sasuke." He said.
There was no answer.
"What was in that box?"
"Pictures." At least it was a word.
"Of what."
"My family." So that was it, Naruto realized. Itachi must be in that box. "I didn't want her to see. I don't want her to know." Naruto put an arm around Sasuke and pulled him close.
"I know."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Itachi sat down at the booth of a local restaurant. He glanced over the menu and decided on udon noodle soup. He looked around. The red walls, creaky floors and rickety tables and chairs felt very familiar. "We've been here before, yes?" He asked Kisame.
"Mmhmm." Kisame mumbled as he read through the menu. "Like two years ago…you were in one of those moods."
Itachi sat back reflectively, trying to remember. He brushed a strand of loose black hair out of his eyes. "I see." He shook his head. It probably wasn't worth his time.
A pretty redhead waitress walked over to their table. "What can I get…", her voice trailed off. "You!"
Itachi looked at her sternly. She did look familiar. There was something about that thick red braid and large blue eyes. He noticed that Kisame mouthed the word, "shit". So she did know him. "Who are you?" He said emotionlessly.
"You…son of a…you don't remember me?" She put a hand on her hip and cursed loudly. People turned to stare. Unacceptable. It was the last thing Itachi needed.
"Would you like to talk somewhere…more private?" He asked.
The woman could barely contain her anger. "Hey, Kana!" She called out to another waitress. "I'm going out for a break." The other waitress, Kana, rolled her eyes.
Itachi and Kisame got up and motioned for the woman to follow. As soon as they were behind the restaurant, the woman began to yell and curse. At least there was no one around. "…Two years ago, dammit! Your brother probably didn't even fucking—"
He raised a hand to silence her. "You met Sasuke?"
"I don't fucking remember his damn name!" She screamed.
"Why would you see Sasuke?" He asked calmly.
"I got pregnant you shit-for-brains fuck!" She shouted. Little veins in her forehead and neck popped out, Itachi almost had to chuckle. He must've been really drunk.
"Pregnant?" Itachi asked. Kisame made an uncomfortable throaty noise.
"What? Are you deaf too?" She huffed. "Anyways, he has the kid. I don't really care. But it is yours. Fuck, you should pay me for carrying the damn thing." She lit a cigarette.
"Really?" Itachi mused. Well, this was interesting. Very interesting. He must pay his little brother a visit sometime. He looked up at the woman. "What is your name?"
"Ueda Hitomi." She said, hands on her hips with a smug expression on her face.
"I have no intention of killing. My partner probably thinks differently." Itachi nodded to the blue ninja and walked away. In the distance he heard her cries and the sound of a blade hitting flesh.
Minutes later, Itachi and Kisame were walking out of the little town. "I'm still hungry, Itachi."
"It'll be about half an hour to the next town." But he made no move to walk quicker. Kisame groaned. "Are we going to Konoha?"
"Hmm. That would be interesting, don't you think?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe a little visit."
Kisame grinned, showing his sharp white teeth.
A/N: Hope you liked it. I admit it is not as long as the last chapter but I hope it's just as good! Please review. Also, I can't wait for Mikoto to grow up. Writing infantile characters is just plain annoying after a while. Haha…little cliffhanger...
