"Where do you want this?" Sasuke held up a box.

Hinata pointed at the counter. "Just leave all that on the counter. I'll put it away."

Miki made a screeching noise. "Hey, no need for that because someone wasn't paying attention for two seconds." Sasuke lowered his head to pen. "You behave, or I'll make your room clown-themed." Hinata covered her mouth. She didn't want to laugh at that. Miki stood up and grabbed at him. "Fine." Sasuke picked her up.

Sasuke couldn't say no to her. That was going to become a problem eventually.

"What do you want your room to be?" Sasuke asked her. "We could do something real predictable like zoo animals."

Hinata dusted her hands off. "She's a baby. She's not going to care much."

"You're the type to paint a kid's room beige." Sasuke made a face.

"I think she will tell us what she wants once she's old enough." Hinata opened another box. "I wouldn't push a personality on her."

"You're no fun," Sasuke grumbled. "That's okay. I'll decorate. She can't stop me." He told Miki. "How about fantasy? Do you want a Lord of the Rings room? I bet I can get approval for that."

Hinata smiled as she dug into the box.

"Question is… Hobbits or Elves… or Dwarves. I bet I can order a baby-sized pickaxe on the internet."


Sasuke pressed the tiny baby's hand into the sand. Miki dug her hand into it and made a fist, then looked at her little fist and immediately tried to shove it in her mouth. Sasuke pulled it back and brushed her hand off, so she could happily suck on her fist.

Hinata opened her bag and started smearing sunscreen on Miki's little face. Miki squinted and fussed. "You're going to like a burn less."

"Baby torture." Sasuke chuckled.

Hinata held her hands out with more cream. "You too."

Sasuke held Miki up in her way. "Adult torture."

"Come here." Hinata shifted around his shield to smear the sunscreen on his face. Maybe the reason Hinata dressed for the beach like she was dressing for church was, so she didn't need as much sunscreen.

"Are you done?" Sasuke gagged as she purposely slid her hand over his mouth. "Hey."

Hinata giggled as she finished her sunscreen assault by getting some for herself.

Sasuke put a shovel in Miki's hand and immediately got sand flung in his face. He should have accepted that. Hinata brushed his face off, so he could open his eyes back up. "I told you she's too young for that."

"Let her have fun." Sasuke gave her a plastic shell instead, less catapult shaped.

Hinata placed a hat on Miki's dark tuff of hair. "This should keep the sun out of her eyes."

"I think it's a little big." Sasuke pulled it back so it wasn't so far down on her face.

"But it's adorable." Hinata's face scrunched as she smiled at her baby.


Sakura squeaked, looking into the baby carrier. "She's so sweet. Hi."

Miki started crying, and Sasuke didn't hold back laughing as he pulled Miki out of the carrier to calm her down. Sakura scowled at him.

Hinata pouted at Miki's misery. "Sorry. She hasn't been very social."

"Come on." Sasuke rubbed Miki's little back. "She's not 'that' scary." Hinata patted his arm to tell him not to push it.

Sakura gave the baby a sad smile as Sasuke managed to calm her down. "She looks just like you, Hinata." The air was thick with an unspoken conversation that no one wanted to have. Maybe they never would. If everyone was fine with that, maybe they didn't need to have it.

Hinata fixed her little outfit. "She's got my skin. I slathered her in sunscreen as she still got a little sunburn." She brushed the slight redness to her knees.

"I don't think there was anything more you could have done other than dip her in it." Sasuke countered.

"How have you been doing?" Hinata asked Sakura.

"I called Lee." Sakura blushed a little. "I think we are sort of a thing… "

"That's great." Hinata smiled.

"What about you two." Sakura crossed her hands under her chin with a knowing smile.

"We're… together?" Hinata tentatively looked at Sasuke.

"Yeah, I would call 'sleeping' together as 'together.'" Sasuke got swatted at for his comment.

Sasuke giggled. "Are you going to have another baby so little missy here can be a big sister?" Sakura tried to tilt her head to Miki, but she took one look at her and buried her face.

Hinata's cheeks turned red. "I don't think that is in the plan right now,"

Sasuke said nothing to agree with her making Sakura giggle more.


Sasuke whispered to Miki again. He was determined to shape her first word. Hinata wasn't sure what he was trying to shape her first word to be, but he was working very hard on it every day, even when Hinata reminded him that Miki might not start making words for another few weeks.

Sasuke held her little hands like he did when she started to walk. Miki bounced excitedly though she probably didn't know what he was trying to get her to do any more than Hinata did.

Hinata swallowed awkwardly. She was feeling weird, not sick, but definitely not right. Sakura's words crossed her mind, but there was no way she was pregnant. Right? She hoped not. She started counting back days, interrupted by Sasuke cheering. "Yes! Again!"

Hinata giggled. "Did she say something?"

"Almost!" Sasuke called back as he continued to whisper-yell at Miki.

Maybe she should take a test.


Hinata didn't expect to be so disappointed by a negative test. She sat in the bathroom and stared at it, wondering if it was wrong, hoping that it was wrong. But why?

She and Sasuke weren't married. She already had a baby, and having a toddler and infant would be exhausting. Maybe she hyped herself up, worried about it for a few days before she broke down and bought a test. She spent those days trying to fix imaginary problems like how she would tell him, what they would have to do, and what she should dig out or pick up for her first trimester.

She had gotten ahead of herself, and now all that was null and void. It wasn't real.

Why did it break her heart so much? She really shouldn't be hoping for a baby right now.

Hinata debated wrapping up the test and hiding it, but she felt sick, hiding how empty she was feeling over the test. How did she tell him that she wasn't pregnant, but she wasn't happy without sounding like she was desperate?

How did she tell him without him jumping to the conclusion that she was pregnant? If he did and his reaction was bad, maybe she should use that as a sign that she shouldn't have let hope settle in. If he were excited, she would feel horrible for crushing his hope.

Hinata wrapped up the test and hid it. Sasuke would jump to conclusions if he saw it. She collected herself before she stepped out of the bathroom and rejoined Sasuke on the couch as he picked out a movie. "Maybe I should put a surround sound system in." Hinata bit her lip. Should she wait? What if he found the test? "Hey, you okay?"

Hinata flinched, caught. "I…" Spit it out. "I'm not pregnant."

Sasuke stopped flipping through movies to pay attention. "Did you think you were?"

"For a few days," Hinata explained. "I was worried I was, but now… I… think I'm disappointed."

Sasuke reached an arm around her shoulders. "There is nothing wrong with that."

"I just… I don't know why I was hoping…" Hinata whimpered. "Well, last time I planned for a baby, and that didn't go well."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Sasuke rubbed her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

Hinata did worry because she also was aware of how it would look. It already didn't look good that they were together because of the rumors when Naruto left her, and just as that started to die down, news about Naruto's death circled, and now there were new questions. Ones she didn't want to answer.

And as much as Hinata didn't really didn't care, a divorced woman with a pregnancy out of wedlock didn't look good to anyone. Her father might actually break his code of silence and track her down if he knew.

It especially didn't look for Sasuke. It would look like she trapped him to take care of her daughter. She hated even the thought, but that's what people who cared too much about other people's situations like to think, the absolute worst.

Sasuke sighed, kissing her temple. "If it happens, it happens. We will make decisions when it does."

Hinata pouted, knowing her mind wasn't going to leave her alone, but she nodded, knowing Sasuke was right. Sasuke constantly reminded her that he wasn't going anywhere and that he was sticking around. She didn't know how he could say it any louder or clear, so she could drive it through her insecurities.

Unfortunately, she knew why love felt like it could be ripped away at any moment. Maybe one day, she could forget and just enjoy.


Hinata blinked. Her hands stopped typing on the keyboard as she looked at Miki. Did Miki just say her first word?

Miki knew what time it was. With their routine, she knew roughly what time to expect Sasuke home. If he were late, she would get frustrated because she wanted to play. As time drew nearer, she would babble or screech to get Hinata's attention, and Hinata would tell her to wait.

But this time, Miki's reply was much clearer. "What?" Hinata asked. Miki looked at her expectantly. "You have to wait."

"Daa!" Miki screeched.

Hinata's mouth fell open. Sasuke did not… Oh, he was going to be so upset he missed it. "Is that what he's been teaching you?" Hinata picked Miki up. "Has he been trying so hard to make sure you call him dad?"

Miki patted her impatiently. "Daa."

"He'll be home soon. Patience." Hinata giggled. Her heart was too excited to go back to work. Hinata decided to give Miki the attention she was demanding until Sasuke came home. When he walked in the door, Hinata put Miki on her feet, so she could run to him.

"Da!" Miki reached up, begging to be picked up.

A smile spread across Sasuke's face, and he scooped her up and started attaching her with kisses.

"It's not fair to coach her." Hinata giggled, tucking herself into the arm he held out.

"I made her a promise she had to hold up her end of the deal." Sasuke handed Miki to Hinata, making Miki annoyed, but she wasn't upset enough to fuss. Sasuke dug into a decoration that had been up since they moved, and he turned to them.

Hinata curiously held her hand out when he offered it, and her heart stopped when she realized what it was.

"Marry me?" Sasuke opened the ring box for her.

Hinata swallowed. "This isn't because…" No, he was trying to shape Miki's first word for weeks. "I wasn't expecting this." Sasuke hand brushed past her face to rest on the side of it. Waiting for her to collect her thoughts. "I … yes?" Hinata was pulled into a kiss. That pit in her stomach she thought she would have moving on with her life wasn't here now.

Sasuke pulled back and took Miki, and held her up, making the little girl giggle. "We did it."

Hinata put her hands on the sides of her face with the ring box in her fist. Why was she so happy with such a silly proposal? Hinata watched Sasuke celebrate with Miki, who was just happy to have him home, and sighed.

This was her happy ending.

**Lavender-Long-Stories**

Hey there, shameless self-plug:

Want ItaHina? Death Wishes
Want KisaHina? Lavender Umbrellas
Want GaaHina? Lavender Sand
More SasuHina? Lavender Memories, Wheels, Testing Success, Lavender Clouds