Authors Note: My greatest thanks to my wonderful Beta Akahane-Scarlet Feather or Hinata796 before for proof-reading! especially my greatful thanks for re-editing (Ruka's scenes on Fourteen's GA Version of this story). =]
Disclaimer:For those people who doesn't read disclaimer and just accuse people of stealing someone else's plot line you need to read this, Naruto is own by Masashi Kishimoto [everybody knows this its freaking obvious!] if I own Naruto I'm not going to bother myself writing this story. Number 2, the plot line is based on Filipino Drama Katorse in English Fourteen. So there's a lot of Katorse [Fourteen] Elements here in this story. So, got it people? In short I do not own anything but the OC's.
"Caged birds accept each other but flight is what they long for."
-Tennessee Williams
Chapter Eight
For The Sake of Your Happiness
Sasuke parked his car in front of a simple suburban home. He smiled slightly as he saw Naruto and their daughter Kaoru seated together in the grassy garden directly in front of the small patio. Naruto was reading a story aloud to her daughter, her melodic voice softly flowing through the words like music. The two were oblivious to the outside world and completely unaware that he was approaching them quietly. "Hey," Sasuke called out to get their attention. Naruto looked up, noticing his presence.
"S-Sasuke…" Naruto stuttered, her eyes widening as she noticed him standing in front of the iron gate. Kaoru gave her mother a concerned look before catching the eye of the man that claimed to be her father. "Mom?" Kaoru fidgeted, reaching for her mother's sleeves.
Naruto smiled assuredly at her daughter, knelling down and brushing her long raven locks aside. "Kaoru, can you go in for awhile? I'll follow you in a minute; I'm just going to talk with your father." She swallowed, feeling butterflies beating on her stomach walls. She couldn't actually believe the words that came out of her lips.
Kaoru nodded in understanding. "Um, okay," she whispered, running towards the front porch of their home. Naruto watched her daughter disappear into the house before looking back to face Sasuke.
The two stood side by side as the moon's divine light illuminated both of their faces. "Itachi already told me…" Sasuke said, breaking the silence between them, his hands inside his pockets. Naruto nodded uncomfortably.
"So…" The single word was the only one that would let itself flutter out of her mouth and she flinched miserably. What am I supposed to do? Here she was right now, like an innocent child too shy to even say anything to her crush. ARGH! Naruto, you're not that innocent naïve girl from before! Itachi said you were strong so…so… She nearly pulled her hair out in frustration.
Sasuke finally sighed, making up his mind that he would take care of his shattered pride later if Naruto forgave him. "Naruto, please give me a second chance." Well, this is it. If she dumps me I'll blame Itachi to fix my broken pride. Sasuke chuckled at the thought.
Naruto furrowed her eyebrows in irritation. "What's so funny?" With that, Sasuke straightened himself up again and turned his obsidian eyes toward Naruto.
"Nothing, I just remembered something," he smirked, turning to his aloof self again. In one single moment, he gave Naruto an intense gaze. Blue meets Black. This is it. This is judgment day. He can't screw a single word up if he wants Naruto to come back to him.
"Listen to me well and clear, Naruto, because this is the first and last time I'm going to be this sweet. Don't hope I'll keep this attitude up forever." Sasuke paused to see the effect of his words on Naruto. She swallowed in her nervousness, heart thundering against her chest. Her blue eyes never wavered as they looked resolutely onto his obsidian ones.
"If you give me another chance, I will never leave you. I'm not going to hurt you anymore like before…losing you was like slowly and agonizingly dying without anyone by my deathbed. Naruto, I was so lost and I realized that I need you and love you. I'll take the best care over you and Kaoru for the rest of my life if you'll please, just welcome me back into your arms." Sasuke bit his tongue. Shit, those words! I can't believe they came out of my mouth… He mentally cringed after realizing that it wasn't hard for him to be sweet and lovesick like a pig. He wouldn't blame Naruto if she was laughing right now to his face.
Instead, she began to cry, hiccupping every now and then to his dismay. Oh god, did I screw up? Now what?
"Naruto, stop, don't cry-!"
"I-I'm not crying because you made me, idiot! I'm crying because I'm so freaking happy…" Naruto sniffled, looking up to meet his gaze. "Yes, yes I'm giving you a second chance!" Her tears cascaded frantically down at her cheeks at the sudden up and down bobbing of her head. All the pain punctured in his heart disappeared all of a sudden. In his delight, he pulled Naruto to a crashing hug and lifted her up, her feet inches above the ground.
Aniki, you sacrificed your own happiness for me…I swear I'm not going to waste this second chance the both of you gave me…
Not far away from the couple, a second pair of obsidian eyes watched them from afar. A middle aged man scrutinized the both of them, especially the smiling blonde. His stern eyes reflected the air of a man who had been hardened by many obstacles in order to achieve his goals.
"Master, should we go home now?" the assistant asked his employer dutifully.
"Oi, Sasuke!" Kiba slapped his buddy hard on the back, banging his friend's forehead onto the table in the process. "So how is it with you and your aching heart?"
Naruto's eyes bugged out of their sockets and she hugged Kaoru to her side tightly, afraid at the boisterous crowd her…boyfriend led them to. To her surprise, Sasuke straightened himself without complaint, merely grinning at the dog lover in a sincere way. "Never the better man, never the better. I've brought both of my girls here today."
"You're two-timing?" Sakura shouted, her green eyes widening. Just two hours ago she had finished getting her hair permed which allowed her pink curls to bounce around so excitedly. Her white hands grabbed Naruto's cheeks and squished them together, inspecting the blonde's face rather awkwardly. After finally releasing her, she pouted, cocking one hand on her hip. "Damn it, she's gorgeous! I feel so old compared to her!"
Hinata giggled and crouched down to shake hands with the quaking Kaoru. "Hi there!" she smiled brightly, instantly gaining the trust of the raven head. "Naruto-chan, we've heard so much about you from Sasuke over here! Truth to be told, most of the time he was shouting profanity at his cursed love life and at how much it sucked," she confided wickedly towards the new addition to their group.
Sasuke scowled as Naruto giggled. "Hinata, better watch what you're saying. I heard you were debating about suicide when a rumor got around that Neji was going to get engaged with Tenten."
Before she could kick the arrogant man around the shins, Kaoru piped up adorably, "Cute name Tenten!" she giggled. An awkward silence ensued until Chouji started laughing hysterically. "Hey everyone, the kid's totally right!" Naruto smiled as a few drinks were passed around. She felt warm and safe and included in her new circle of friends, and honestly she felt as if her life was turning for the better.
Itachi stepped inside his father's office where he saw his father seated on his swiveling chair and massaging his forehead. It had been months since the meeting in New York where he had last met his father. He could see a look of utter displeasure on his face. Itachi's heart sank, did he do something wrong? Does he already know about Sasuke and Naruto? But no, he couldn't have. He was the perfect boy, the one man who never disagreed to his father's commands. And why should he? To the older Uchiha's eyes, Itachi had everything and was blessed with a luxurious and grand lifestyle that most people only dreamed of. But Father, if only you knew. I live in a life full of loneliness and sorrow. This is my hell.
"Sit down," Uchiha Fugaku ordered sternly. Like a puppet, Itachi sat opposite of his father's direction. "Lift your head up Itachi. You're a Uchiha, and we should all be proud of ourselves." It was frightening to look into his father's eyes; a cold and dull onyx that was devoid of the warmth of fire that Sasuke occasionally sparked.
"Yes, father," Itachi whispered, but he still refused to look directly at his father.
"I know what's happening." Itachi silently gaped. How did he find out so quickly? I must protect them all now. Nevertheless, he nodded; there was no point in denying the truth.
"You know the consequences of helping that filthy girl, right Itachi?" The boy's eyes snapped open in indignation and he tried to argue against his father's words, but was interrupted once again. "You know that I allowed you to do what you wished because you said yourself that Uzumaki was your happiness. But now that she's tempting both heirs of the Uchiha family, I cannot allow that low life to break into our lineage and taint and disgrace the name I built up for the two of you."
Itachi had to stop himself from bashing his father's face in by clenching his fist. "Naruto's not like that! I helped them because they deserve to be happy, Father!"
The older Uchiha banged his fist on the table, making Itachi jump slightly. His onyx eyes glared with fury at his son; did he just dare talk back to him? "As long as you are a Uchiha, I have control over you! You'll be following me and me alone!"
"Father you can't do that!" Itachi protested.
"Are you questioning my words?" he asked sternly.
Itachi just looked down in his lap again.
He had to obey his father.
"You'll be meeting her tomorrow."
"Yes father." Now Itachi was back to his old life: a caged bird, a grown man who had been manipulated all his life.
But for the sake of his love for Naruto, Sasuke, and Kaoru, he' would do anything to protect them.
Even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness.
What do you think pips? Hope all of you enjoyed reading this new installment of FOURTEEN, I know its been 1 or 2 months since I last updated but still I did not forget about this fic =] Thus, Please Read & leave a REVIEW!