A/N: Another chapter?! Believe it or not, yes!
I don't own Naruto.
II - Swirls of Leaves
Even before Tayuya rang the doorbell, she could hear plenty of laughter coming from inside. Despite her long day, a smile crept across her face as the fatigue melted away. She pushed the button, the lilting melody of the chime giving way to a few muffled voices and a stop to the laughter. Tayuya expected Anko to open the door, but was instead greeted by their oldest daughter.
"Oh, Auntie Tayuya. You here for Yume and Haru?" the silver-haired girl asked.
"Hey Sachiko. Yeah, I'm here for the kiddos. Where're your parents?"
"Inside talking with Auntie Hinata. Come on in." Sachiko opened the door wider for Tayuya, who shuffled inside and took her sandals off before making her way through the house.
The position of Hokage wasn't without its perks, and having a sizable home was one such perk. For Tayuya, having a husband whose former sensei was also a former Hokage with a sizable home was a perk all its own. What was more, her mentor just so happened to be that same former Hokage's wife, and she'd been so generous as to offer her help with babysitting.
In a not so rare twist of fate, the Hatake household became a bit of a daycare. Kakashi had, at his wife's behest, offered to watch Sasuke and Hinata's children as well, should they ever need it. Loath as he was to admit it, Kakashi did enjoy having the house full of life and joy as often as they did, and it gave him and Anko something to keep themselves occupied now that he was retired from his Hokage position.
However, there were some days that made him wonder why they had agreed to such a proposal in the first place. Specifically, days where the house was full to bursting with children. On days such as this, the house had no less than six children to look after. Thankfully for Kakashi and Anko, their children were at an age where they could assist with keeping an eye on the little ones.
Having Hinata around further lessened the overall workload of the Hatake family. Normally, she would be at home with her twins, but it just so happened that they wanted to see their "cousins", as Sasuke and Hinata referred to the Hatake children. Having the Uzumaki siblings around was just a bonus for them.
Such was the arrangement for the day; a large gathering of children under the combined supervision of the Hatake family and Hinata Uchiha. Such days weren't rare, but they weren't commonplace, either. Once the Uchiha and Uzumaki children were old enough, they would start school and wreak havoc there, instead.
Tayuya didn't have to walk far before she was all but tackled to the ground by two small children. Plenty of shouting and giggling ensued as she feigned defeat. "Oh no! I'm being attacked!" she cried. Just as the little ones were confident they'd subdued her, Tayuya spring to her feet, scooping up her children, one in each arm. "C'mere, you little gremlins." She planted almost comically large smooches on each of their whisker marked cheeks, drawing out more giggles from them. "You kiddos hungry?"
"Auntie Hina made us onigiri!" Yume declared, her big brown eyes wide with excitement.
"Where's Daddy?" Haru asked, his own violet eyes watching his mother curiously.
"Daddy's still at work, little fox. He should be finishing up and coming home soon, though," Tayuya reassured. "Did you have some of Auntie Hina's onigiri too?"
Haru nodded. "I had three!"
Tayuya let out an exaggerated gasp. Just as she did, she heard giggling coming from nearby. "Is that who I think it is?"
Before the sources of the giggles blew their cover, they quickly hushed themselves. However, both Tayuya and the children in her arms knew exactly who was spying on them from just around the corner. In one smooth motion, Tayuya set Yume and Haru down, bringing a finger to her lips. The little ones mirrored the gesture, wearing mischievous little smiles as their mother tiptoed to the strangely giggly corner.
Just before the other children poked their heads out to see if the coast was clear, Tayuya pounced, snatching them up in a big bear hug. A slew of giggles and shouts ensued, though the Uchiha twins were wriggling about, they didn't make a concerted effort to try and break free of their Auntie's grasp.
"Gotcha, you little sausages! Thought you could hide from Auntie Tayuya, huh?"
"We heard you come in!" the boy said through his fit of laughter.
"Oh, good. So you can hear the doorbell. Did you hear your sister giggling the whole time, Hotaru?" Tayuya asked him.
"Could you really hear me giggling?" the girl wondered, hardly able to contain her own giggling as she watched Tayuya with her onyx colored eyes.
"You've had the giggles since you were a baby, Nae," Tayuya pointed out.
"Nuh-uh! Hotaru was making funny faces at me!" the girl retorted.
"Was not!" the accused cried.
"You always say that your brother makes faces at you, sweetheart," a soft, but familiar voice remarked.
Tayuya turned, and was greeted by a sweet smile from Hinata. "Oh, there you are. How were they?"
"They were their usual selves." Hinata glanced at the Uzumaki siblings, who put on their best innocent smiles. "Rowdy, but not too loud."
"Good. Is Anko-sensei—"
"In the kitchen!" the woman in question called. Tayuya blinked a few times, while Hinata let out a giggle as she covered her mouth. Even after knowing Anko for a large part of her life, Tayuya still found herself wondering how the purple-haired tracker kept her senses so razor sharp.
With the help of Sachiko, Tayuya and Hinata shooed the children off to play a little while longer. They made their way to the kitchen and found the matriarch of the Hatake household finishing up the dishes. Kakashi, for one reason or another, was nowhere in sight.
"Wow, sensei. Kinda surprised you're not making Kakashi do the dishes," Tayuya quipped.
"And have him leave spots on the glasses? Hell to the no!" Anko retorted. She was answered by a hearty laugh from her former student. She dried her hands before meeting Tayuya with a nearly bone-crushing embrace. "Good to see you, kiddo."
The pink haired Uzumaki returned the embrace, letting out a laugh as she did. "Still calling me that? I have two kids of my own now, sensei."
"You're preaching to the choir," Anko drawled as she went to make a pot of tea for her guest. "So, how's everything?"
"Can't complain. Thanks for watching the gremlins. It's been really busy lately. My idiot husband has the biggest to-do list in the entire fucking village, I swear," Tayuya answered, muttering the last bit.
"He's always been very passionate and enthusiastic," Hinata gently retorted.
Anko poured each of them a cup of tea. "Speaking of idiot husbands, mine apparently wants to be an academy teacher now that he's passed the hat on to Naruto."
The younger mothers thanked Anko for the tea before taking a cursory sip. "An academy teacher? I never would have guessed Kakashi-sensei would want to teach," Hinata remarked.
"I figured he would wanna lock himself in a room and read those shitty smut novels after he retired," Tayuya quipped.
"First of all, I made sure to put those stupid books in a locked box," Anko pointed out. "He surprised me, too. Guess being the jōnin sensei for his brats wasn't enough to kill his love of teaching."
"Since when did he have a love of teaching?" the Uzumaki asked incredulously.
"Beats the hell outta me. I'm married to the guy and that was news to me," the purple haired Hatake grumbled.
"Sasuke's taken an interest in being a jōnin sensei, too, actually," Hinata chimed in. "Though, I'm not sure how he'll manage that right now. Hotaru and Nae aren't old enough to start at the academy yet. And then there's—" She quickly bit her tongue, taking a sip of tea. "So, Tayuya, is Yume excited to start at the academy soon, too? Nae and Hotaru are quite eager," she hurriedly asked.
Anko and Tayuya both cocked an eyebrow, exchanging a glance. "And then there's what?" the former questioned.
Hinata shrunk in on herself, her cheeks turning pink. "W-Well, the thing is that, well, er…"
"C'mon, dollface, spill," Tayuya ordered. "We're all girls here."
"Moms, too," added Anko.
Hinata made a conflicted noise. After a moment of deliberating internally, she let out a sigh. "I…I'm pregnant again."
Tayuya's jaw hit the floor, while Anko let out an excited squeal before wrapping the Uchiha woman in another bone-crushing embrace. "Congratulations! Holy moly! How far along are you?"
Hinata stifled an excited giggle. "Thank you so much, Miss Anko. I'm six weeks along. Sasuke's been coming with me to the appointments when he can."
Tayuya nodded sagely. "Good. Naruto tries to come with me to mine, but he's been busy with his—" She slammed her jaw shut, realization hitting her like a sucker punch. Both Anko's and Hinata's eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls. It was Tayuya's turn to blush, her cheeks turning nearly the same color as her hair.
"The fuck are you two staring at?" she muttered.
Before she could change the subject, Anko was less than an inch away from Tayuya's face, her light brown eyes staring directly into Tayuya's own chocolate browns. "Spill," the older woman commanded.
"Too fucking close!" Tayuya cried as she jumped back.
"Tayuya, your language. The children will hear," Hinata gently reminded.
The swearing Uzumaki clicked her tongue. "I'll add to the swear jar later."
"You have a swear jar?" Anko marveled.
"Blame my idiot husband," Tayuya shot back.
"Tayuya, are you also…?" Hinata prompted.
A sigh escaped the Uzumaki. "Yeah, I am. I'm actually as far along as you. Six weeks."
Hinata stifled a gasp behind her hand, her eyes somehow wider than they were when Tayuya let it slip that she was pregnant. "Oh my! That's such a coincidence."
"You sure you two didn't plan this?" Anko questioned.
"I know that Naruto and Sasuke are pretty much inseparable, but I seriously fucking doubt they'd go this far," Tayuya answered.
"I have to agree," Hinata added. "Sasuke's not that type of person. He'll go along with what Naruto suggests, most of the time, but he has his limits."
Anko shrugged. "Still. I wouldn't put it past them."
"I hate that you have a point," Tayuya grumbled. "And I especially hate that Naruto isn't above pulling shit like this."
"S-Still!" Hinata refuted, her cheeks turning pink. She took a breath to compose herself. "Oh, I forgot to mention."
The other two women turned to her with expectant looks on their faces.
A small smile graced Hinata's features. "I'm having twins."
Anko squealed again, but Tayuya blanched, looking like she'd seen a ghost. Hinata's expression shifted into one of concern, which prompted Anko to turn to her former student. The latter's brow furrowed as she looked Tayuya over.
"Tayuya? Are you alright? You don't…look so good," Hinata said, her tone laced with concern.
Tayuya could only blink, her eyes wide as could be. "You…no fucking way you're having twins."
Anko glanced between the two women, eyes narrowing. "Don't tell me; you're having twins, too, aren't you Tayuya?"
The Uzumaki in question nodded, her face no less pale, and her expression no less shocked. Hinata had brought her hands over her mouth again, watching Tayuya in stunned silence. Anko stuck her bottom lip out, still glancing between them.
"Isn't this…a good thing?" the purple haired Hatake poised.
Realization set in for both Hinata and Tayuya, the former lowering her hands and considering her words for a moment. "That's…true. It might be the most coincidental thing I've ever heard of, but I think this is a good thing for both of us."
Color slowly returned to Tayuya's face, and she found her voice once more. "I mean, yeah, but still. You have to admit it's fucking creepy. I mean, fuck, all of this shit lining up like that seriously weirds me out. No offense, dollface."
"No, no, none taken," Hinata reassured. "B-But, regardless of the coincidence, congratulations, Tayuya. I'm so so happy for you and Naruto." She finished with a genuine smile, one that not even the sometimes brusque Tayuya was immune to.
"Yeah, thanks, Hinata. Congrats to you too. With our luck, these kids will be inseparable, too," Tayuya remarked with a grin.
"My, my. Sounds like we're going to have four more little ones running about," a deeper voice said nonchalantly. The trio turned to see the former Hokage, hand raised in an informal greeting, his eyes crinkling as he smiled beneath his mask.
"About time! You didn't even say hi to our guests," Anko admonished.
"Well, I was a bit busy with Genji," Kakashi countered. He turned to Hinata and Tayuya. "Congratulations to both of you."
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Hinata said with a bow.
"Thanks, Kakashi," Tayuya answered with a nod.
"Mommy! Are we going home yet? Is Daddy done with work?" Yume called as she scampered into the kitchen, her younger brother following close behind.
"Mama! Is it time for us to leave?" Nae wondered aloud not a second later, she and Haru following closely behind the Uzumaki siblings.
"I tried to keep them busy, but they just got away from me," Sachiko explained as she jogged in behind them.
"You little munchkins already sick of your Auntie Anko?" the purple haired Hatake asked.
"I think they're ready for their dinner," said Hinata as her children clung to her dress.
"You like staying with Auntie Anko, right kiddos?" Tayuya asked her own little ones.
"Yeah! She gave us cookies!" Haru answered earnestly. That made his mother arch an inquisitive brow, which was followed by a sideways glance to her mentor.
"Oh yeah? Did she give you a lot of cookies?" she indirectly interrogated.
"No, she gave us one each," Yume answered.
Tayuya shot Anko a look, which Anko responded to with her best innocent smile. "I couldn't eat them all myself, and they were being good, so I gave them a little reward."
Kakashi hummed. "Are you sure about that, dear? I've seen you eat an entire platter of cookies by yourself—"
"Stuff it, Hatake," Anko snapped. Sachiko couldn't help letting out a giggle. The silver haired man raised his hands placatingly.
"Dad, I finished cleaning up. Did mom start dinner yet?" another small voice called. Everyone turned to see Genji rounding the corner, who stopped when he saw the gathering. "Oh, hi Auntie Tayuya. I didn't know you were here already."
"Hey Genji. Just came to grab these little monsters to take them home. What were you cleaning up?" the Uzumaki asked.
"Dad was helping me train. Just some stuff I learned at school," the youngest Hatake answered.
"Train hard, but make sure you rest when you need to. And if you need help with other things, your Uncle Sasuke and Uncle Naruto would be more than happy to help," Hinata offered with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Auntie," Genji said sheepishly.
"We greatly appreciate it," Kakashi said with a small bow.
Tayuya glanced at the clock. "Well, hate to cut this short, but I'd better get these little rascals home. Thanks again for watching them, Anko-sensei."
Anko waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, it's no biggie! Having them is always fun." She turned to Hinata. "Thanks for your help, too. It's always a big help having an extra set of hands."
"Oh, I'm more than happy to help. I'm glad it all worked out today. Maybe we should get together at our home, or maybe Naruto and Tayuya's," Hinata suggested.
"I'll mention it to him. Here's hoping he doesn't bog himself down with stuff. I swear, sometimes I feel like I have to knock some sense into him," the pink haired Uzumaki answered.
Kakashi let out a half-nervous chuckle. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
Tayuya sent a mischievous smirk his way. "Let's hope." She turned to her little ones, patting each of their heads. "Come on, you two, let's head home. Say bye to your Aunties and cousins."
"Bye!" the two said in unison.
The rest of the group said their goodbyes, with Nae and Hotaru being the most enthusiastic of the group. With smiles all around and after lingering for longer than intended, the Uzumaki family departed and headed home.
Tayuya opened the door and was immediately struck with the smell of curry. Before she could even get past the threshold, her children were scampering inside and getting their sandals off. The heavenly aroma meant only one thing.
"Daddy!" the brother and sister squealed.
Naruto emerged from the kitchen, an ear-to-ear smile plastered on his face as he squatted down. "Hey! Welcome home, you guys!" Not a second later, he was practically tackled by the two little ones. He scooped them up in a bear hug, planting loud, affectionate smooches on their cheeks, which sent them into a fit of giggles.
"Well, we're home. You're off early, huh?" Tayuya greeted.
The blond let out a chuckle. "Yeah. I managed to sneak out." He set his children down. "You two go ahead and get washed up. Dinner's pretty much ready."
They did as they were told, leaving the husband and wife to give each other a proper greeting. Tayuya wasted no time, going to Naruto and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her husband wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and capturing her lips with his own.
"How'd everything go?" he asked after reluctantly separating.
"Work was fine." She averted her eyes. "I…went to see Sakura and Tsunade for a checkup."
Naruto's hands went from her waist to her shoulders. "You did? Holy crap, I'm so sorry I didn't go with you. I should've left earlier—"
He was silenced by a quick kiss from his wife, one that was followed by a gentle chop to the top of his head. "Relax, blockhead. We both knew the kinda shit you'd have to put up with when you took the hat. It's fine. Now, do you wanna hear about how it went or what?"
The Hokage rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his chuckle just as sheepish. "Of course. Everything go okay?"
"Yeah. Pinkie was the one who did the majority of my checkup. Granny Tsunade was there just in case. They did find something, though." Her words hung in the air.
Naruto's expression dropped. "What'd they find?"
A small, genuine smile graced Tayuya's normally serious face. In lieu of words, she held up two fingers.
Naruto's jaw hit the floor. "T-Twins?"
Tayuya nodded, her smile growing ever so slightly.
Before she could say anything, Tayuya was swept off her feet in a bone-crushing, but warm embrace. She gladly returned the hug, even if she couldn't quite match her husband's strength. Not a word was spoken, but not a word was necessary.
In what could be considered a rare moment of tenderness, the husband and wife touched their foreheads together. They stood for a moment, simply enjoying their closeness. However, the sound of little feet drew their attention away from each other.
"Mommy, did you pay the Swear Jar?" Yume wondered as she made her way to the table.
Tayuya heaved a sigh, reaching into her pocket and fishing out two coins. She trudged over to the clearly labeled jar, which was three-quarters full. Grumbling under her breath, she dropped the coins in before plodding to the kitchen to fix their children their plates of food.
"Twice, huh?" Naruto quipped.
"If you don't wanna sleep on the couch, you'll keep your mouth shut."
The Hokage's raucous laughter filled the house. "Aw, c'mon! I was gonna say I'm proud of you!"
Tayuya harrumphed as she finished getting Yume and Haru's plates of food. "You better be." She shot him a mischievous smirk as she passed him by.
Before she could get to the table, however, she was stopped by her husband's hand on her shoulder. "Should we tell the kids?" he asked her.
She paused and turned to him, still carrying the plates of food. After a moment, she let out a small sigh. "Let's wait. Just until I'm a little further along."
Naruto planted a quick, chaste kiss on her cheek. "Sounds good to me. Just lemme know." He flashed her a warm, foxy grin before going back to getting their own plates ready.
Once the children settled down, the Uzumaki family happily ate together. As they did, Naruto told himself that he would make a conscious effort to be home for dinner, unless the circumstances were truly dire or extenuating. Despite what Tayuya had told him, he would also try to accompany her to as many checkups as he could make it to.
She wasn't sure what to feel when she and Naruto learned they were having Yume, and she was pleasantly surprised when they found out that she would be getting a little brother. However, now Tayuya only felt an indescribable joy. It took all of her self-control to not tell them they would be getting more siblings. Thankfully, playing her flute for them until they fell asleep kept her mind off of it.
A/N: This was so so much fun to write. I didn't expect to write another chapter of this, but I absolutely had to write something that showed Naruto and Tayuya being parents. I adore this ship, even if it's a rare pair! Thank you so much for reading!