Bonjour! Sorry about the long delay in updating, like I said it's school time so I've spent most of my time moving in. Anyhoo here's the next chapter, enjoy and review please!

Thanks to all you swell people who reviewed last time haha =)

It was two days since the group dinner and Sasuke and Shunsuke hadn't seen nor heard from one another. Not that Shunsuke was complaining. The conflicted child was actually enjoying his time away from the awkwardness of spending time with Sasuke. Shunsuke also didn't have to worry about his mother pushing the two to spend time together. Sakura was swamped at the hospital, and though Shunsuke loved and missed his mother dearly, he was slightly happy that she was so busy. A cold spreading through the village and two teams of ninja who had been injured kept her occupied for most of the day and distracted her from trying to heal the two male's damaged relationship.

In addition to getting her to leave Shunsuke alone about Sasuke, Sakura's work schedule also brought the opportunity for Shunsuke to go over to his friend Aito's house after school. Both mothers were alright with the idea, and Sakura even agreed to let Aito spend the night to their house when she got off. That night after Sakura had tucked the two boys into Shunsuke's bed and went into her own bedroom, Aito and Shunsuke lay awake under the covers, waiting several moments to assure Sakura was asleep. After a while, the two friends began quietly talking.

"So ya still hate Sasuke-sama?" Aito whispered. He sat up and rested against the head of Shunsuke's bed, crossing his legs in front of him. The young boy's long, jet black hair was out of its usual low ponytail and his soft, ice blue eyes locked expectantly on Shunsuke.

Shunsuke crawled from under the covers and lay on his stomach with his head facing the end of the bed. Since Aito was his best friend, Shunsuke went against his usual nature of secrecy and told the boy everything.

"I don't hate 'im," Shunsuke sighed, keeping his voice low as well so as not to awaken Sakura. "It's just weird…that's all."

Aito stared at the back of Shunsuke's head and remained silent. Shunsuke continued. "Whaddyu think?"

Aito thought, then shrugged. "Mmm-uhmm. Sasuke-sama's like one of the best ninja in the world. Might be cool havin' him as a father."

"Pfft…not it the world." Shunsuke scoffed. " 'Sides Uncle Naruto's a awesome ninja too. He's more like my father."

"Wait, you want Naruto-sama as your father? Issat why you don't like Sasuke-sama?" Aito cocked his head in confusion.

Shunsuke buried his face in the bed and spoke in a muffled voice. "That's not what I meant. I mean…well I only need a mama…that's all. And ev'rybody else's fine too, but there's no room for Sasuke here."

Aito's eyes narrowed in thought for a moment, then shone as he erupted in laughter. "You're jealous!" He teased, poking Shunsuke in the foot.

"Cut it out Aito!" Shunsuke snarled, jerking his foot away. Aito was unfazed and kept on giggling.

"I'm not jealous," Shunsuke repeated, quietly this time. "I just…well I don't trust him alright."

"Why?" Aito shrugged.

" 'Cause."

" 'Cause why?"

" 'Cause he left us that's why!" Shunsuke blurted quickly. He began absently picking the cover. His beautiful young face was contorted into a scowl. "And since he left then he's got no place with us."

"I thought you said he didn't know about you?" Aito asked puzzled.

"But he knew about Mama," Shunsuke stressed pointedly. "An' he still left her."

"Yeah but Sakura-sama seems okay with it. And she's the one he left. So if she was mad at 'im why does she want you an' him to be friends so bad?"

Shunsuke scoffed. "Tchh, I dunno. And he'll try an' be nice to me but he's a real jerk to Mama."

"How?"

Shunsuke sighed again. "I dunno Aito. But," he continued quickly before his friend said anything, "I know Mama, an' I can tell the difference between the way she acts with Uncle Naruto and Uncle Kakashi and the way she acts with Sasuke…"

"And if he wasn't so bad and they were all supposed to be good friends and teammates then she wouldn't." Aito nodded in understanding, finishing his best friend's thought.

"Exactly. So he should just leave us alone so Mama doesn't get hurt anymore."

"…Well… you're hurtin' Sakura-sama too," Aito pointed out.

"Am not!" Shunsuke shot up and turned to look at Aito.

"Uh huh," he nodded. Aito reclined casually against the bed once more-his long shaggy bang fell over the left half of his face and his one visible eye looked at Shunsuke with a hint of sadness. "Every time she tries to get you to do somethin' with Sasuke-sama you make it hard too."

"Well that's 'cause I'm not used to it. Mama said it's gonna take tim-"

"Shunsuke," Aito began sternly. "You're not used to it 'cause you're not tryin'to get used to it."

Both of the young boys were mentally advanced and analytical beyond their age and often times Sakura would joke that their talks sounded like a duo of old men. Aito's sensitive, reserved, and advising nature offered an excellent balance for Shunsuke's more objective, impulsive, and stubborn one. And as consequence of this friendship, Aito was one of few people who-aside from Sakura-could give Shunsuke such advice and have the young child receive it without argument or internalizing ill feelings.

"Look," Aito continued, "whenever Mother asks me to do somethin' an' I don't she gets sad. Pretty sure Sakura-sama's no different."

Shunsuke fell quiet. "Y'think?"

Aito nodded and his face became serious. "Maybe she knows somethin' you don't…maybe you should just be nice to Sasuke-sama an' see. Adults are s'pposed to be good with this kinda stuff."

"Be nice?" Shunsuke's nose curled up.

"Try to be nice." Aito giggled, leaning forward and giving a swift, hard tug at Shunsuke's ear.

"I'm not bein' nice to him if he's not being nice to Mama."

Aito suddenly stood on the bed and put his hands on his hips. "Tell 'im."

"What?" Shunsuke asked.

"You just said it, Sasuke-sama's gonna be nice to you, yeah?…Maybe you can make him be nice to Sakura-sama too."

Shunsuke smirked devilishly. "I control him?…" He thought to himself.

"Shunsuke." Aito started sternly. He pointed a finger at Shunsuke. "It doesn't make sense if you start being mean to him just because. 'Member what I said…your mother's gettin' hurt too."

Shunsuke sat quietly in thought for a moment. Then he shot his hand out, hooked it behind Aito's heel, and jerked his leg from under him. Aito's black hair flew as he came crashing down.

"Time for bed. We gotta go to school tomorrow." Shunsuke said, starting to get under the covers.

Aito followed suit, but pulled Shunsuke's ear until he had his friend's head flat on the bed and held it there for a moment.

"Remember what I said," Aito reminded before letting Shunsuke's ear go. Shunsuke angrily rubbed his ear and nodded.

"Yeah," he grumbled before settling down. After a few minutes, Aito's sleep-heavy breathing could be heard beside him. Shunsuke sighed and rolled over on his side, staring at the bedroom door. He thought back to the first night when Sasuke had come into their house and how weird everyone was acting. He remembered clearly the look on his mother's face and how angry and mean Sasuke looked.

He despised Sasuke until he found out that Sasuke was on Team 7 with his mama. His mind instantly went to the picture that Sakura still had of herself, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi-taken several years ago when they first became a team. Although Naruto and Sasuke looked annoyed, Kakashi looked happy and Sakura looked ecstatic. Shunsuke remembered staring at that picture many times-struck with the innocent amazement at how much the raven haired boy in the picture resembled the child standing before it. Ironically, he had even once imagined that Sasuke was his father, but immediately he dismissed the idea and sent up an apology to his father whom he then thought rested in the heavens.

Aito rolled over, slightly pulling the covers with him and Shunsuke lifted his arm slightly and let the covers shift. Shunsuke resumed thinking of the memories Team 7 had recounted that time before Shunsuke knew Sasuke was his father. Shunsuke recalled his mother's bright face as the trio talked and the jovial stories that she and Naruto shared. She smiled at the harmony among the four of them. However, ever since Shunsuke had found out the truth about his father, her smiles seemed strained, and the heavy sporadic sighs he heard her let out when she thought she was alone troubled him. Shunsuke rolled back over on his back and covered his face with his small hands. Aito was right, Shunsuke was making this harder on Sakura, and he loved his mother way too much to cause her unnecessary trouble.

Sakura had been happy once before when Sasuke was around-maybe it wasn't impossible for her to be again.

He dropped his hands from his face and his brow remained in a deep furrow of thought and confliction until it slowly relaxed as the troubled child was overcome with sleep.

Sasuke walked home from the tower with an unintentional scowl on his face. Since he'd been released from the correctional facility, Lady Tsunade mandated that he checked in daily to either herself, Shizune, or Homura and Koharu. Being monitored like a two year old was bad enough in itself, but days like today made him wish he'd never even come back. The two elders spent over an hour interrogating him-making sure he was not a threat to the village and reminding him that if he left again, his penalty would surely be death. Sasuke answered their questions curtly, kept conversation nonexistent, and concentration the effort that he would otherwise use to listen into restraint as he sat wordlessly under their scrutinizing eyes.

The Uchiha was more irritable than typical as he left the tower. The village sun was at its peak and beamed down on the unshaded dirt streets and-thinking that he would be talking to Shizune and therefore out rather quickly-Sasuke had chosen not to eat before he left and now he was famished. Sasuke arrived at his front door and was startled to find Shunsuke sitting outside, slightly clammy from the heat.

"Shunsuke?..Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Sasuke began, but the young boy stood haughtily and cut him off.

"We're hurting Mama," He said with a tight jaw and his small nose flared. He didn't concern himself with salutations because he had no desire to be courteous. "And I don't like when Mama gets hurt. So why don't we just do this stupid father-son thing so she can feel better."

Sasuke was floored. On a positive note, Shunsuke referred to their relationship as father-son: acknowledging Sasuke as his father. Unfortunately though, Shunsuke didn't want to build a relationship with Sasuke because he wanted him as a father, but rather because he wanted to please his mother. Sasuke knew he shouldn't be picky, but he couldn't see any type of positive relationship forming between the two if that was the boy's sole motive.

"…I don't think that's a good idea."

Shunsuke's eyes widened momentarily in shot at being turned down, then narrowed in determination. "Did you just say no?"

"What have you never heard that word before?"

Shunsuke's jaw clenched. He looked around and noticed a spot on a fence nearby. His finger pointed to it. Sasuke's eyes widened in recognition. Secretly, Sasuke felt a shock of thrill that Shunsuke was playing his trademark game with him-even if the young child didn't see it as a game at all.

"Five times in a row says yes." The young boy fished out five kunai as he continued talking. "If I hit that plank five times, I win. If not, we do it your stupid way."

Sasuke held a hand up and picked out some kunai of his own. The elders had not seen them luckily or else the interrogation might have lasted longer. "Make it twenty. On the spot only."

A small smirk danced on Shunsuke's lips as he looked at his challenger. "You're on."

Sasuke moved towards the fence to pull off the kunai in between throws so that Shunsuke wouldn't run out of weapons. Shunsuke took a deep breath and began. Sasuke watched on in amazement as Shunsuke let the kunai sail effortlessly into his target seventeen times in a row.

Metal blade pinched between his fingers. Onyx eyes attentively set on the spot. The release. Another bull's-eye.

"Eighteen." Sasuke removed the kunai and contained a smile, enjoying the moment. He felt like a proud father practicing with his prodigy son. Shunsuke released the next blade.

"Nineteen," he said before the kunai had even made it halfway. Sasuke looked. The boy was right, another hit dead on the center of the spot.

What a cocky little brat his son was, Sasuke smirked.

"You're not about to gas out are you?" Sasuke asked, leaning against the fence as Shunsuke picked up his final kunai. Though the act itself wasn't strenuous, the stuffy air was enough of a distraction so that Shunsuke had to concentrate more than usual.

"Don't worry about me," Shunsuke glared, "You just make sure you don't skip out on your end because that…" he said releasing the final kunai, "was twenty."

Shunsuke's eyes settled in satisfaction and a smile broke across the young boy's face. Sasuke couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock at the young child's skills and he laughed slightly back.

"Very impressive."

Shunsuke simply nodded. "Now," he began in an official tone, "I think it's time we talked."

Sasuke opened his front door and ushered the child in. Shunsuke handed Sasuke back his kunai and stood uncomfortably in the entryway.

Before Shunsuke could say anything, Sasuke slowly shook his head, "You shouldn't do this for Sakura-"

"No?"

"No." Sasuke reiterated. "What good is it going to do if you're hating every moment of it?"

Shunsuke spoke up angrily. "Well it's good that one of us wants to do somethin' nice for her!"

Sasuke ran a tired hand over his face. "Shunsuke, I'm just trying not to put too much pressure on you."

"Forget about me!" Shunsuke screamed, waving his arm angrily. Sasuke's closed eyes opened in shock and he stared at Shunsuke.

"No Shunsuke," Sasuke shook his head with narrowed eyes. "This will just hurt you even more."

"Me? You don't wanna hurt me?" Shunsuke's eyes widened, then squinted at Sasuke. "Why'd you leave?"

Sasuke sighed deeply. "I told you Shunsuke, I had no idea Sakura was pregnant with you… and I wouldn't have been able to stay anyway-"

"Why'd you leave Mama?" Shunsuke locked gazes with Sasuke and asked with hard, unwavering eyes. Sasuke froze and looked at Shunsuke.

"Huh?"

"Why'd you leave Mama?" Shunsuke repeated slowly with obvious anger in his voice.

"Shunsuke, look we don't need to-"

"Tell me!" Sasuke's head jerked back at the sound of the five year old's sudden yell. He looked and saw the young child's ebony eyes glistening with tears that were now streaming down his cheeks. "Didju even love Mommy? Didju even care what happened to her? You didn't love her cause you couldn't've cause if you did you wouldn't wanna leave her. You wouldn't've got yourself arrested and left her and me alone!"

Sasuke stood in shock. His now widened eyes blinked quickly as his gaze stayed uncontrollably fixed on Shunsuke's seething frame. Just how the hell old was this child? Did he hear these things from Sakura or was his process of thinking just that mature that he had come to these conclusions on his own?

With an uncomfortable sigh, Sasuke finally answered, "…I can't excuse my past Shunsuke….I'm sorry. I just hope that you'll allow me to be a father to you now."

Shunsuke chewed the inside of his cheek, he stared absently at Sasuke's stomach and nodded without answer. Yet again, Sasuke had made no mention of the pain he'd caused Sakura.

"Hisashi-sensei is prob'ly looking for me by now. Goodbye," Then Shunsuke left the room and took off.

That evening, all Sasuke could think about was what had transpired that afternoon. He stared absently out the window as Shunsuke's words rang deafeningly through his head. As his temples stared to throb with tension, the Uchiha slowly rose from the bed, put on his shoes, and headed out of the door.

He walked without purpose, but knew -even hours before he'd arrived- where he would end up being. He stood outside of Sakura's apartment and knocked lightly- a surprisingly nervous part inside of him hoped no one was home. After a few seconds, however, he saw the door open.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked confused as she stood in the doorway. The light from her front room spilled out into the darkness outside.

"I know it's late, I apologize," Sasuke gave a slight nod as Sakura moved to the side to let him in.

"I didn't have a chance to come over earlier and I was hoping to see Shunsuke before he fell asleep." Sasuke lied. He was hoping to see if the young child was still upset from before.

Sakura frowned apologetically. "Shunsuke's not here. He's spending the night at his friend's house."

"Aito?"

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed for a second, then she smiled and nodded. "Yeah. They've pretty much been playing sleep over tag all week. How'd you know?"

"He told me once while we were training that Aito was his best friend, so I just assumed."

Sakura gave a small smile and jerked her head towards the kitchen. "Why don't I fix you something to drink, since you came this whole way."

Sasuke hesitated, but acquiesced quietly as he followed her into the kitchen.

She handed him a cup of water and sat down at the table while he opted to stand against the wall, distracting himself by looking out the window.

"So you've learned a lot about Shunsuke huh?"

Sasuke shook his head, paused, then shrugged. "I suppose so. There's still more things I'm sure I'll learn as time goes on."

Sakura nodded and leaned into her chair. She began talking absently-mostly about Shunsuke- and after a several minutes, the conversation eventually touched on Sasuke's second departure.

Sakura's voice dropped and she said quietly. "We missed you… after you left."

Sasuke said nothing, but felt his nose heat up in unsureness about where the conversation might end up. Sakura kept talking.

"We thought that'd we'd gotten you back for good. You stayed for three years…we thought everything was returning back to normal."

Sasuke kept his eyes focused on the window and listened without speaking. As Sakura continued, Sasuke slowly began to realize that "we" was really meant herself. The room got deathly silent and Sasuke shifted uncomfortably.

"I couldn't adjust…I wasn't ready to come back yet." Sasuke tried as he stared out the window.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sakura shaking her head lightly. "I heard you talking to Kakashi-sensei a few days before I found out I was pregnant. You said part of what you just told me and that…that there was nothing really here for you anymore…nothing at all." Wet dots fell on Sakura's thighs and he knew she was crying.

"I was wrong." Sasuke barely uttered. His jaw flexed tightly and his bones surfaced through his cheeks.

Sakura nodded, quickly wiping the tears from her face. "You didn't know about Shunsuke. I know," she said.

Sasuke hesitated slightly before speaking with much difficulty, "Yes…But I'm…not talking about him."

Sakura's glassy eyes tightened in confusion and she couldn't help but look up at him. "Sasuke…?"

"I should go." Sasuke said quickly as he cleared his throat and left his place by the window. He set the cup on the table in front of her and walked off quickly. His jaw still clenched in discomfort; honestly, he didn't want to leave her in this state, but Sasuke had no idea how to rationalize his feelings to himself much less to Sakura. At this moment, any attempt at consolation would probably make things worse.

Sakura nodded distractedly from her place at the table and didn't even rise from her stupor to lock the door behind Sasuke.

As Sasuke silently closed the door, he remembered what Sakura had told him about the hardships she underwent early on and fury stirred inside of him. Her sad eyes flashed through his mind and his shaking fist compulsorily clenched. He knew he wasn't innocent in her pain, but the thought of those people hurting his former teammate infuriated him. He only wished he could find those people and make them suffer as magnitudinous a physical pain as the emotional pain they'd caused. Not for Shunsuke, but for Sakura now.

Heehee Start the focus shift XD

Hope ya liked it! You know how to let me know what you think ;-)

See ya soon! xoxoxoxoxo