Hiya everyone! How'd you guys like the last chapter? Good? Bad? Alright so for some reason, my document manager/file editor thing is acting up again and it's been taking out parts of sentences. Why? I don't know. Spelling errors are entirely my fault and I'll try my best to find them. I don't really feel like finding a beta, so please bear with me.
OHMAHGAWD! So sorry for my long leave of absence. I dunno why I haven't been writing for the longest time. But, I promise, from now on, I'll be updating at least 3 times a week. Thank you to those of you who have been patiently waiting while I was away, I really appreciate it. Anyway thank you guys for your support. Please continue to enjoy.
I do not own Naruto. I keep forgetting to mention that. I don't wanna get used or something.
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You have been caught. The readers who read but don't review, you're killing me lol. Any and all comments, questions, concerns are welcome. Don't be shy, leave something :)
That is all.
Hinatas POV
"She kicked me out..." He mumbled, not looking at Sasuke and I.
Hinatas POV
"Wh-Why?" I asked, patting Itachis shoulder. Itachi looked over at me with an exasperated face, as if I had asked an obvious question. That, however, was quite the opposite. I arched an eyebrow, focusing all of my attention on Itachi.
"I-I...God..." Itachi sighed, nearing tears. I looked over at Sasuke. A pained expression was etched in his usually calm face. Sasuke and I waited until Itachi was comfortable enough to continue. He allowed me to rub small, soothing circles into his back as he hunched over, cradling his face in his hands. Itachi let out a loud, pain laden sigh and flipped his hair back before sitting up and looking at the two of us.
Flashback (Itachis POV)
I don't remember when it started, all I know is that I wish it hadn't. The work load had become too much. The endless piles of paperwork, lack of sleep, feeble amounts of time to myself, little to no time with my family. And for what? My fathers approval? His acceptance? Yes, I guess that's what it was. I had finished the Mnt. Kilimanjaro-esque pile of paper work that my father had pushed onto me, for the third day of the week I might add, and made my way out of the office building. It was still daylight, around 4. For once, could get home early. With a heavy sigh, I proceeded to make my way to my car to begin my journey home. The car ride was silent, although I suppose since I was the only one in the car at the time, that that was to be considered the norm. When I pulled up in the driveway, I proceeded to slowly get out of the car and walk inside.
"Mommy, Daddy's home!" Megumi shouted as soon as I opened the door. I set my briefcase down on the floor beside me as I took my shoes off. "Did you have fun at work, Daddy?" Megumi asked with a toothy grin and wide hazel eyes. I gave her a tired smile and nodded my head. Megumi eyes my suitcase, as she always did whenever she had caught me coming home. Which was only a few times. And in those few times, she would excitedly as if she could take the case to my room. "Can I?" She beamed.
"Yes you may. But be careful not to drop it, Daddy has important things in there." I explained, placing a kiss on her forehead. She nodded eagerly and took my suitcase into her small arms as she walked towards my shared room. Ririko was in the kitchen, humming along to the music playing idly in the background as she wiped a counter and checked on whatever happened to be in the oven.
"Hey, honey. You're home early, something wrong?" She asked, furrowing her perfectly arched eyebrows. I smiled and shook my head as my arms encircled her waist.
"I finished that God awful pile of work my father was so kind as to give me, again." I told her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
"Maybe...you should talk... to him... about that." She mumbled between kisses. I shook my head with a smirk this time.
"That's not going to make much of a difference." I explained as I slid my hand down her back to caress her behind. She let out a small squeak and looked at me with lust filled eyes.
"Honey, dinner..." She murmured before melting into the kiss.
"Will be fine. I won't mind if it's a little bit burned." I assured her, sliding a hand over her thighs and hoisted her onto the countertop. She have a light laugh and kissed me again before sliding off of the counter.
"While you might not mind, Megumi won't eat and then she won't go to sleep and then we won't have any time to ourselves." Ririko whispered against my lips. I sighed, knowing full well that she was right. I pressed a kiss to her temple before watching her saunter back over to the oven.
"Later on then." I smirked as she playfully waved me off. About 10 minutes later, the table was set and my family and I were seated at the table, save for the twins, who sat in high chairs. I had just finished spoon feeding Ichirou while Ririko fed Ryota.
"But Nata doesn't eat tomatoes, so why should I?" Megumi fussed, pushing her plate away. Ririko sighed and grabbed Megumis plate, taking it with her as she got up from the table. She caught my stern glare as she got up.
"Because Hinata is an adult. Now listen to your mother. " I told Megumi, peeved at the tone that she had taken with her mother.
"I wish she wasn't my mother..." Megumi mumbled, kicking underneath the table with a huff. In the few years that she has been able to speak, never had she said something so disrespectful. And at age 6 no less. So, I did what my father would have done had Sasuke and I have said something of that sort. I raised a hand a popped her on the mouth, stunning both her and Ririko. Immediately, she began to wail.
"Itachi, what is wrong with you?" Ririko asked, walking over to Megumi to try and coddle her. I grabbed her arm gently, stopping her actions.
"It's fine. Sit back down and finish your dinner." I told her, ignoring her earlier question as I got up and grabbed Megumis previously discarded plate and placed several more tomatoes on it and placed it back in front of Megumi. "Apologize to your mother." I sternly told Megumi as I sat back down to eat.
"Sorry." She snapped. I quickly turned my head to face my daughter and struck her out stretched arm. She looked up at me with big, watery eyes.
"Again. And lose the attitude, young lady." I warned.
"I'm sorry." She cried. Ririko looked at me like I had lost my mind.
"For?" I asked, taking a bite of my dinner. Megumi wiped her eyes and continued.
"Wishing you weren't my mother." She sobbed. I nodded and swallowed before speaking.
"Now eat the tomatoes." Came my demand and I got up from the table to wash my plate.
"But-"
"But what?" I asked, giving her a warning glare. Megumi sobbed before she stabbed a piece of tomato and put it in her mouth, sobbing quietly while she chewed. Thirty minutes later, she finished her food, crying the whole time and was sent to bed after her bath.
"Itachi,that was harsh. She's only six." Ririko commented as she shifted in the bathtub to sit in my lap. I shook my head as she pushed some of my wet hair from my face.
"Your parents, and mine, would have done the same thing had one of us said something like that. Hell, maybe even worse. It's just discipline." I sighed, leaning back in the tub as she massaged my shoulders.
"Yes but-" She began before I pulled her into a kiss, lightly gripping her rear.
"The waters cold." I whispered as I pulled away from the kiss with a smirk. Ririko looked at me and bit her lip.
"So it is." She grinned. And with that, I stood and lifted the both if us from the tub effortlessly and carried her to our bed. When we got to the bed, I kissed her again and wrapped her legs around my waist. She slid her hands over my shoulder and whispered my name before entwining her fingers in my hair. Not two seconds before I could do anything did one of the twins start crying. Ririko sighed as she tried to get up from the bed before I pinned her arms above her head and kissed her neck.
"He'll be fine." I told her. She glared at me and I sighed in frustration as I let her go. She tugged her robe on and walked out of the room quickly. She was gone for so long, I had lost the energy and the drive to try anything. On top of everything, Ririko returned holding Ryota. I sighed and went to pull on a pair of pajama bottoms before gently taking Ryota from her arms. "Get some sleep. I won't be going to bed anytime soon so I'll take him." Was all I said before I walked out of the room, barely hearing Ririkos mumbled thank you.
Before heading to the living room, I stopped at the refrigerator and grabbed a beer before flicking on the tv. As soon as I sat down, uncapped my beer and cradled Ryota, he had stopped his whimpering and fell asleep. I sighed and ran a hand over my face. When he's old enough to understand, I fully intend on telling him how he cock blocked me at 7months old. One beer turned into two, two turned to four, four to seven and seven to ten. Never had I consumed so much alcohol. So it was safe to say that I was fully drunk. A commercial came on and I took the opportunity to take Ryota back to his crib. On shaky legs, I carried my son down the hall, where I ran into Ririko.
"Itachi Uchiha. What are you doing?" She asked with wide eyes. I drunkenly raised an eyebrow.
"Taking m'son back to bed. What's it look like?" I asked. Ririko looked royally pissed.
"Are...God help me, are you drunk?" She asked. I shrugged as I set Ryo down in his crib. I went to kiss his head but was promptly pulled away. "What the hell? No. You will not kiss my son while your intoxicated." Ririko scolded in a hushed whisper, so as to not wake our children.
"He's my son too." I told her, suddenly angry. She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. But not before giving an angry reply.
"Yes, but you're never around to properly be a father." She bit out. That was it. I marched out of the room and grabbed her arm, none to gently.
"You know I work. Shit, it's not like you've got a job. And I'm not a proper father? I'm not the one being disrespected by a fucking six year old! Proper mothers don't do that." I snapped. Ririko started to tear up and wrenched her arm from my grip and slapped me.
"Get out!" She yelled, shoving me away. I gave her a confused expression.
"What?!" I yelled following after her. She glared at me with bleary eyes and threw a t-shirt and a pair of shoes at me.
"Get the hell out. I don't care where you go. Don't come back until you've sobered up, jackass. Who do you think you are?" She yelled at me. I sighed and rubbed my throbbing temples. I shouldn't drink like this. Just then Megumi emerged from her room clutching a pillow.
"Mommy, why are you yelling?" She asked. Ririko glared at me and pushed me aside as she rushed over to Megumi, ushering her back into her room. "But why are you yelling at Daddy?"
"Because Daddy's not being a good Daddy right now." She lied.
"Ririko, are you fucking kidding me right now? Of all things to tell our daughter, you tell her that?!" I shouted, way past the point of caring who heard me.
"I'm right though! For the past few weeks, you've been neglecting your family, catering to your fathers every whim! Are you not able to handle this responsibility?" She cried. Literally.
"Maybe I'm not!" I yelled, pulling at my hair. "Do you think that I wanted to start a family at such a young age? To be abandoned by my family?!"
"Maybe you should have kept it in your pants then." Ririko muttered bitterly.
"Maybe you should have kept your legs closed." I bit out. That seemed to have triggered something in her because the next thing I knew, I was being shoved out of the front door, my discarded shirt and shoes following suit.
"Don't you ever talk to me like that. I don't want to see your face right now. Leave." She cried as she slammed the door in my face.
I must have passed out after that because the next thing I knew, I woke up to extreme heat,blinding sunlight and a blaring headache. I couldn't go to my parents for fear that they'd turn me away. So the next logical thing for me to do was walk the long, shameful way to Sasukes apartment. When I realized he wasn't there, I found an unlocked window and climbed in. My ankles where attacked by a ball of white fur. Since when did they have a dog? When I was fully inside the house, I raided their refrigerator for beer and proceeded to drink the day, and a few of my troubles away.
End of flash back
Hinatas POV
When Itachi finished telling Sasuke and I all that had happened, I was shocked at everything that had transpired. How could Itachi, the upstanding man that I thought him to be, go over the edge like this? I looked over at Sasuke as she sighed and rubbed his temples.
"You dumb bastard. What in the blue hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke asked tiredly. When Itachi said nothing, Sasuke sighed and got up from the couch. "As your younger brother, I'm obligated to let you stay with us for as long as it takes for you and Ririko work this out. But there are rules. You will go to work. You will clean up after yourself. You will respect my home, my girlfriend, our belongings and myself. And you will stay the hell of any alcohol. Any violations of those rules will land you out on the porch. Are we clear?" Sasuke asked as of he wasn't speaking to his older brother. Itachi nodded numbly and Sasuke sighed again and looked at me. "Looks like we've got to go get this moron some clothes." I nodded and gave Itachi one more look before Sasuke and I left the apartment.
"He's taking this terribly." I bluntly told Sasuke as we got into the car. He nodded with a slight smirk and tiredly tugged at his hair.
"Yeah. And here I was, ready to go home, take a shower, maybe get in some downtime with you. But here we are, left to get clothes for Itachi." He said as we backed out and proceeded down the road.
"That's your brother. Whom you love enough to do this for." I smiled as we drove a little ways down the road.
"Yeah, I guess." Sasuke mumbled, looking rather frustrated. We stopped at a traffic light and I took that time to lean over and pull him into a kiss. He smirked and licked his lips as I pulled away. "Keep doing that and I might have to pull over." He joked and I rolled my eyes playfully.
"Oh dear Sasuke, that would be illegal." I laughed.
"That's what makes it all the more exciting." He chuckled as he drove. I lightly scoffed and nudged his arm in good humor.
"You may be an exhibitionist but I'm not." I chided. The whole way to Itachis house was filled with playful banter and stolen kisses. The streets were barren and silent as we pulled into Itachis driveway. We slowly walked up to the door and knocked softly. Neither Sasuke nor I were prepared to deal with an angry Ririko at 1 in the morning.
"Are really that stupid to come back at 1am, Itachi?" Ririko scolded who she thought was Itachi.
"Well hi to you too." Sasuke chuckled at his sister in law. Ririko tilted her head to the side and looked at us with an odd expression, probably due to our not yet normal hair. I hate the fact that it's still blonde.
Wh-Where's Itachi?" She asked, her hard demeanor now diminished and replaced with worry for her husband.
"He's at our apartment. We came here to get him some clothes. It looks as if he'll be staying with us for a while." I said, giving the sullen woman a slight smile.
"Oh. Well, come on in." She directed, stepping asIde to let Sasuke and I in.
"Uncle 'Ke, Nata! Why are you here so late? And where's Daddy?" Megumi asked as she bombarded us. Sasuke picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Daddy left yesterday. I haven't seen him yet. Is he okay?" Ririkos expression turned sour as her daughter asked this.
"Your Daddy's with us right now." I told her as Sasuke handed her over. She looked up at me and ran her hand through my bright hair.
" I don't like your hair." Megumi commented, gesturing to Sasukes as well. "I liked it the way it was." She said with a pout.
"It'll wear off soon. Now, where can I find his clothes?" Sasuke asked, wanting to go home as soon as possible. Ririko walked into her room and came out with a rather large duffle bag full of Itachis necessities. She gave us a sad look before taking Megumi back to her room.
"It's getting late, you two should get home." She muttered. Sasuke and I order and made our way towards the door.
"Let us know if you need anything." Sasuke added before closing the door behind us. "She's putting up this façade like she doesn't miss him. I know she does." He commented as we got into the car. I nodded knowingly.
"This is something that only they and time can fix." I absently added.
"Look at you. Getting all philosophical and whatnot." Sasuke teased. "Always a turn on. He added. I looked over at him.
"Don't you mean "Always turned on"?" I joked. He laughed and shook his head.
"That's not true." He smirked. I raised an questioning eyebrow. "A lot of things you do are a turn on. Like when you lose a contact and have to wear your glasses. It's sexy. Or when you're walking around the apartment in sweatpants and a tank top. It's cute. Or when your curled up with me in bed and you've got your face all up in a book, that's just adorable." He smiled. "You're the one who's constantly trying to jump my bones." He chuckled. My face grew hot and I playfully scoffed.
"That's not true. You just happen to be half naked all the time, flouncing around the house trying to seduce me." Came my honest retort. Sasuke glanced over at me and winked.
" I don't flounce. And I'm not trying to seduce you, you just so happen to be extremely attracted to me." He announced.
"We'll see about that." I smiled as we pulled into the driveway.
Alright kiddos, that's that. See, I'm getting better at updating. Didn't take me so long this time. It's, like 3:00 am lol. I started at about 12:50 sooo yeah. I can't sleep so I guess I'll start on the next chapter. Anyway, please review and let me know how I'm doing. I love hearing your responses. To those of you who read and don't review, come on guys, show some love :)
Until next time!
Next chapter: A Deep Respect