Okay, here's Chapter 4. I would like to thankRed-eyedgal for reviewing and urging me to continue this story. I apologize for all the hardcore sasusaku fans that came to my story expecting a sasusaku thing. It's not a sasusaku, but I'll make some on your request. Hope you all can forgive me, Thanks. O.K CHAPTER 4!
It was morning, and Natsumi was walking out of Konoha hopsital. The nurses were surprised that her wound had healed so fast. Sure, it was a bit small, but a wound as deep as seven centimeters into the chest cavity would take more than a day. They checked several times before letting the red-haired kunoichi out into the streets. Natsumi was walking around the corner of a building when she heard someone calling her name. When the young woman turned around she was face-to-face with a young woman with long, jet-black hair and ice blue eyes. Natsumi stared at the face for a moment, trying to figure out when and where she had met this face. Suddenly she gasped. "Sae?! Is that you?" Natsumi asked.
The lady beamed, her eyes sparkling. "You remember me!" Sae shouted with pure joy. The woman embraced the red-haired kunoichi. "I was walking by when I saw your bright red hair." Natsumi was released from Sae's hug and the Niikyo-Uchiha looked over her old friend.
"Long time no see Sae," she said.
"Definitely. It's been what? Six years?"
"I think so." Natsumi noticed that Sae was glancing around the crowd. "Um, who are you looking for?" she asked.
Sae didn't reply and stood on her tip-toes to look around. Then she smiled and waved. "Over here! I found her!" she exclaimed to someone behind Natsumi. Natsumi turned around and was facing another old friend. This young lady had golden brown hair that was just a centimeter from touching her shoulder. Her hazel-blue-and-green eyes were full of energy, and her smile was warm and friendly. "Hey Nat," the woman said.
Natsumi stared in surprise. "Sora!" she squealed. The red-haired kunoichi hugged her friend from the Hidden Star Village. Sora smiled at her friend, and her forehead protector with the Star insignia on it shimmered in the sunlight. Sae smiled at the two of them, and then she spoke.
"I was on my way here to give a message to the Fifth Hokage in the name of the Kazekage, and then I met Sora on the way here," Sae explained. "She was heading to Konoha as well, but she was on her way here to spend her days off hanging out with you."
"Cool," Natsumi said. She looked over at Sora. "How long is your break?"
Sora answered in a light tone, "Three days." She shook her head in disbelief. "I was surprised that my father let me out of the village. He has been prtective for the longest time."
"Well what do you expect Sora?" Sae questioned. "You are the Hoshikage's daughter, and you are also a kunoichi who can be targeted. I think that he let you go this time 'cause you were heading for Konoha, where you have the most protective friend ever." The Sand kunoichi laughed and glanced at Natsumi, who smiled and laughed along with her. The three women began to walk through the crowds in the streets and continued to talk.
"So, how's it been Natsumi?" the Star kunoichi asked.
"It's been alright..." the Leaf ninja replied. "I just left the hospital, and now I'm on my way home." The woman heard her friends' silence.
"What happened to you that got you into the hospital?" Sae asked. She and Sora sped up to be able to hear their red-haired friend's answer.
"I was caught by the enemy and was hurt pretty bad," Natsumi answered. "But I'm fine now, don't worry about it." There was a silence between them, and it remained that way until they reached the garden gates of Natsumi's house that was on the edge of the village. They walked into the fenced area and walked onto the front porch. Natsumi pulled out a key and unlocked the door. She, Sae, and Sora entered the Niikyo-Uchiha household, and Natsumi closed the door behind them. "I'm home!" Natsumi called.
There was the sound of muffled voices, and that was followed by thundering footsteps coming from upstairs. Three teenage boys came running down the stairs and leaped the last five steps. "MOM!" they shouted in unison. The first son to reach Natsumi was a tall boy with raven-black hair and green eyes. His skin tone was almost as pale as his father's, but it had a bit more color. He actually lifted his mother up and spun her around. Natsumi laughed, and the other two sons surrounded her, giving her hugs and their greetings. After they quieted down, they looked over in the doorway and saw Sae and Sora. The middle son -- a boy with reddish brown hair and blue eyes -- smiled at the two women.
"Hello Sae, Ms. Hoshikawa," the boy said.
"Sup dude," Sae replied. On her last visit she had told Natsumi's children to address her by first name, no formalities. It made her feel awkward, and old. Seeing that, after six years, they still remembered made her smile.
"Hello," Sora said. Sora, unlike Sae, was rather content with the formalities and titles. They did not bother her whatsoever -- she was used to them as the daughter of the Hoshikage. "Er...who was who again?" she asked. After six or so years she had totally forgot which child was which. Natsumi smiled at her and looked at Sae, who nodded to agree that she had also forgotten the boys' names.
Natsumi gestured to the son that was closest to her, the one who had spun her around in greeting. "This one is Yang." She walked over to the middle teen and placed a hand on his left shoulder. "This is Hunter. And this..." The Niikyo-Uchiha walked over and stood on the boy's left. "is Nhamo." Nhamo had reddish brown hair like his brother Hunter, and he also had blue eyes just like Hunter, which is expected with twins.
"Okay, I remember now," Sae said. She smiled at the boys. "Good to see you all again."
"Same here," Nhamo said. Hunter and Yang nodded in agreement. Sora nodded as well, and then she looked around the room.
"Hi Sae, Sora!" came a voice from the kitchen. When the two women got confused, Natsumi told them that the voice was Mayume, who was in the kitchen washing dishes.
"Where's your sister?" she asked the boys.
Yang thought for a moment. Then he answered, "I believe that she left a little while ago to go and practice her Sharingan."
"Dad went with her to help her out too," Hunter added.
"'Dad'?" echoed Sora and Sae. They stared at one another, and then they stared at Natsumi. Sae asked, "Sasuke's back?"
Natsumi nodded. "That's how I got to the hospital so fast," she said. "He found me and took me here straightaway."
"Where was he the last eight years?" Sora asked.
"Out in the wilderness, doing some personal missions."
Yang crossed his arms and huffed. "Ever since he came back, Dad's been training with Yin a whole lot." He then spoke in a quieter voice, "She's his favorite since she is the only one in the family that has the Sharingan." Hunter elbowed his brother gently, and Yang looked up to see his mother looking at him, her golden eyes soft in concern. The boy looked down again and mumbled, "Sorry."
"Your father is not playing favorites Yang," Natsumi said. "He is just assuring that Yin is up to her full potential with the Sharingan."
"How are you so sure about that?!" Yang snapped.
Natsumi was staring at her son with wide eyes. He never yells at anyone.... This must be really troubling to him.She glanced at Hunter and Nhamo, who were whispering to Yang, scolding him for scaring their mother. She looked at Sae and Sora, who were staring back at her. Natsumi straightened up and looked at Yang. "We will discuss this later, Yang," she said.
"But--" Yang said in a low voice.
"Later," she interrupted in a firm tone. Yang and Natsumi stared at each other for a minute, and Yang then shifted his gaze to the floor.
"Fine..." he mumbled. "I'm outta here." The teenager walked past his mother and the two guests. He opened the front door and left, closing the door loudly behind him.
Natsumi heaved a sigh. "Sorry about that," she said. "Let's all sit down, shall we?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The training field was covered with kunais and shuriken. Two blurs were colliding in mid-air, the clanging sound of metal weapons rang loud and clear. After colliding six times, the blurs departed and stood at different sides of the training area. A girl in a silvery-grey Chinese shirt and slightly baggy navy blue pants stood at the far end of the field by the river, eyes closed. Her Leaf headband that was on her forehead proudly displayed her village symbol. She opened her eyes to reveal the red of the Sharingan. The girl's long raven-black hair moved along with the light breeze as she stared at her opponent about 600 meters in front of her. A man with the same eyes as her was staring right back at her, a small smirk was on his face. The girl straightened her posture and quickly began to make hand-signs.
The man copied her signs just as quickly.
She finished just a second before and did her Fireball Jutsu. Her fire struck the man, and he was engulfed in flames. The girl smirked, but that quickly turned into a frown when she only saw a burnt log in the man's place. Her Sharingan detected her opponent's chakra and jumped to her right just in time to dodge the man's blade. She pulled out a kunai and blocked his next swing. The man kicked the back of her knee, tripping the girl and making her fall on her back. When the girl looked up, the tip of the man's katana was right in front of her face.
"I win," the man said.
The girl panted, "Alright... Can you let me sit up now?" The man lowered his katana, and she sat up. Her Sharingan deactivated showing her onyx eyes staring at the ground.
The man's eyes also went from red to onyx. He kneeled down beside the girl and asked, "Are you okay, Yin?"
She waved her hand. "I'm fine Dad," she replied. "Just that I haven't used the Sharingan so intensely before." Her father stood up and offered a hand to Yin, who took it and was pulled up. They began to collect their knives and other weapons. "I'm glad that you came back Dad," Yin said as she put the last of the kunais in their bag.
Sasuke looked over at his daughter, and a small smile came across his face. "I am too," he said. The two began to walk back to the Niikyo-Uchiha household.
"Dad?" Yin asked.
"Hm?"
"You should train with the boys more, I need more practice with my elements anyway." The girl stared ahead, avoiding her father's curious gaze.
"Something tells me that there is more to your suggestion," Sasuke said. "What's wrong Yin?" This is the first time in what seems like forever since he had asked his daughter that question. He stared at her as she looked away from him. he remained silent, waiting for her answer.
After a while Yin sighed. "It feels like I am taking you away from my brothers," she said. "It is not fair and nice of me to do that to them."
Of course... Sasuke thought. Yin is worried for her brothers' sake.That was exactly how she was before, when she was eight years old, and he was still with the family. Sasuke remembered one night when Yin had been ignoring and or avoiding her father's and mother's attention. He recalled that conversation he and Yin had then...
~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sasuke stopped by his children's doorway and peeked inside. He saw a little girl with short blackish-blue hair in a white dress staring out the window and at the forest. The Uchiha lightly tapped the door-frame, letting his presence be known. "Can I come in?" he asked.
"Fine," came a quiet reply. Sasuke walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He made his way to the window sill and sat beside his small daughter. She did not look at him at all and continued to stare at the trees and their shadows.
"Yin, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked. "You have been ignoring and declining every offer your mother and I give you."
The girl was silent for a minute or two. Then she asked, "Why didn't you ask Yang? or Hunter or Nhamo about the offers you and Mom gave me?"
He was taken aback by the question. "The offers we gave you only applied to you." Sasuke stared at his daughter. He knew that her thoughts were more advanced and more complicated than the average eight year-old. So this must be one of those times. "Tell me what is bothering you Yin," the Uchiha said with a hint of authority. Yin did not reply for another few minutes. "Yin?" His daughter looked deep in thought, and he didn't want to disturb her, but he really wanted to know what was causing her to do this thinking.
"I'm worried about the emotional stability of my brothers," she said. Yeah, the phrase "emotional stability" isn't the type of vocabulary for a toddler. Yin loved to sift through the dictionary and other educational books -- she has Natsumi's library to go through for many facts of the human body and phsycology. Not to mention that Yin Uchiha is the oldest child of the four children that Sasuke and Natsumi have.
She continued, "As the oldest chlid of the family, I am responsible of caring and paying attention to my younger siblings' needs." Yin finally looked away from the window to stare at Sasuke with the onyx eyes that she inherited from him. "I am worried that Yang, Nhamo, and Hunter are not getting the attention necessary to grow up confident and mentally healthy."
"I understand," Sasuke said. "I promise to give them the right amount of attention, okay?" When she looked down, he put his hands on her shoulders and rested his forehead on the top of her head. "Okay?" he asked again.
"Okay Daddy," Yin answered.
"That's my girl," the Uchiha said. He hugged his daughter and kissed her forehead. "Now let's go and eat some dinner with Mommy and your brothers."
She looked up at him, and he saw the cute small smile that always made him smile. Both of them stood up and walked toward the door, where there were the sounds of plate clattering and glasses tinking.
~~~~~~End Falshback~~~~~~
"So," Sasuke said. "You want me to spend more time training with your brothers right? Give them more attention and help them out?"
Yin glanced over at him. She had been listening to silence for about three minutes before his answer. I wonder what he was thinking... Yin thought. She nodded anyway. "That's exactly what I'm saying." The two arrived at the Niikyo-Uchiha household and entered trough the front door. Sasuke and Yin noticed two women sitting on either side of Natsumi. Yin smiled at the women, and they smiled back.
"Hey Yin," said the woman on Natsumi's left, Sae.
"Welcome back Yin," said the one on Natsumi's right, Sora.
"Hey Sae, Sora," Yin said. She walked over into the living room and hugged them both and her mother. "Hey, Mom." Yin looked at Sasuke, and Sora and Sae's gaze followed hers.
Sasuke stared at the two women with a blank stare, but Natsumi and Yin could see the surprise hidden in them. "Hello ladies," Sasuke said in a smooth voice. Sae looked him over, insepecting the dirt on his face and dirty shirt. Sasuke stood still, yet he felt very uncomfortable under her stare, with her ice blue eyes hardening and examining every feature of him. After a minute the Sand kunoichi nodded.
"Welcome back to Konoha, Sasuke," Sae said in a casual tone.
"Yep, welcome back," Sora chimed.
"Thank you," the Uchiha answered. He walked over to Natsumi and kissed her lightly on her lips. "Hey."
Natsumi smiled. "How'd training go?" she asked. "You look like you had a rough time."
"A bit, but I only got dirt on me, not a scratch."
"And Yin?"
The girl answered, "I did not get touched." She smiled at her father and teased, "I am a great equal to Dad."
Sasuke laughed, "Just wait 'till next time. Today was a test to see what you could do."
"Ooh, I'm soo scared." Yin grinned at him and laughed. "Okay, but remember your promise."
"Of course."
Natsumi smiled at her husband and daughter. Then her face grew solemn. "Sasuke," she said.
The man looked at her. "What is it?"
"Yang has been gone for over two hours, without a signal thought-speak or phone call." She looked up at the Uchiha, who was still standing. "Can you go look for him? He won't talk to me when I thought-speak. I can sense that he's nearby, but still no reply to me."
Sasuke nodded. "I'll go and find him," he said. He bent down and hugged his wife. "I'll bring him back before dinner. okay?"
"Alright." She watched Sasuke as he walked to the door and left. Then she stood up and walked to the kitchen where Mayume was already starting dinner. "May I help?" she asked her twin. Mayume turned around from the stove and nodded.
"You can peel the potatoes," she said. Natsumi got a potato peeler and grabbed one of the six potatoes and began peeling, letting the potato skin fal into the trash can. "You think that Yang will talk to Sasuke?" Mayume asked he sister.
"I'm pretty sure he will," Natsumi answered. "After all it is Sasuke that is the issue with Yang."
Yeah, I'm leaving it off there. I don't know how that little trouble came in, but it looked natural for the other sibling to be jealous of the attention the oldest gets from the parents. If you are wondering what happened to the shadow-figure earlier in chapter 3, then shill and wait till the next chapter. I'll update as fast as I can. Plz review! Thanks.