This is just a little epilogue for you all: much love to my wonderful reviewers!
Itachi checked his watch with a sigh of relief as the business meeting ended. It had been a long day at work and he was absolutely exhausted; but very excited.
"Good work today, Itachi," Fugaku assured him; clapping his son on the shoulder as he passed, "Call your mother later; she wants to hear everything."
"Of course, father," Itachi nodded as he began tucking everything away in his briefcase as his father finished wrapping up everything. Nagato, sitting across the table, was nodding and taking down several notes; looking across at Itachi once or twice.
As they were leaving, Nagato stopped him.
" –Itachi, might I have a word?" he inquired formally, pulling him aside as he was heading back to his office. "I know it's been a few years since I broke things off, but I was just wondering if you'd like to go for a drink tonight? To celebrate business, you know," Itachi just smiled back at him.
"Sorry, Nagato," he apologised with a shrug, "I've got to get home to make dinner for the kids." Nagato's eyes widened slightly though he managed to keep a relatively straight face.
"Kids?" he repeated, "You have kids?"
"Eleven," Itachi informed him; loving the expression on Nagato's face as they stopped outside Itachi's office, "It's their first day of college today so they'll be very excited."
"I…I didn't…" Nagato still seemed to be a little flustered and confused about why Itachi; barely twenty-four, had college-aged kids. Itachi's office door suddenly opened and Kisame stepped out; towering over Nagato with a sly smirk.
"Afternoon sweetheart," Kisame remarked smugly; kissing him on the forehead; revelling in the fact that Itachi hated it when he called him that –especially around his workmates, "You must be Nagato," he added courteously, extending a hand, "Itachi's told me a lot about you. Kisame Hoshigaki. His boyfriend." Nagato suspiciously took the proffered hand as Kisame beamed at him. He coughed and then excused himself awkwardly.
"…That was unnecessary," Itachi growled crossly, heading back to his office, "What are you doing here?"
" –I wanted to pick you up from work," Kisame replied innocently.
"Did Temari hex Sasuke again?" Itachi sniffed, "You only ever come pick me up when someone gets hexed or someone's made a giant mess."
"Nothing's wrong," Kisame chuckled; kissing him briefly on the lips, "Can't I want to come see you at work?"Itachi sighed heavily as he locked his door and then stepped straight through the floor-length mirror of his office; reappearing from the huge mirror in his study back at Samehada Manor. Kisame followed him, moments later.
"…It sure is handy that Temari's a witch," Kisame commented with a chuckle; looking over at the enchanted mirror that enabled Itachi to travel instantly to his work office from home. "Sakura's started on dinner already."
Itachi quickly hung up his suit jacket; ignoring Kisame's cheeky grope as he headed downstairs to the kitchen where Sakura and Temari were already beginning dinner. Temari had apparently cast a spell that was making sure that the bulk sauce was being constantly stirred.
"Hi mom! How was work?" Sakura inquired brightly as he pulled on an apron. "No dad; get out of the kitchen; you're only going to grope mom!"
"I am not," Kisame responded; mock offended and lying his pants off. There was something adorable about Itachi in his apron that made him unable to keep his hands off him. With a flick of her finger, Temari had sent him skidding from the room; the door slamming shut behind him.
" –Wait until dinner, Sakura," Itachi remarked; holding up a finger to silence her so that she wouldn't start talking about her first day at university without everyone present, "Are your brothers home?"
"Deidara, Ino, Kankuro and Shikamaru are," Temari replied.
"Shikamaru! Kankuro! Come down at set the table!" Itachi shouted, "I know you can hear me! No excuses!" There was silence for a few minutes, and then the sound of swearing from the foyer. He knew that that would be Kankuro with his puppeteer-like ability to control people's limbs; probably controlling Hidan from up on the landing. Poor Hidan; those kids treated him terribly. But they loved him and he loved them; despite how often he threatened to kill them in their sleep.
As Itachi was bringing out some of the dinner trays; having finally allowed Kisame entry into the kitchen after safely removing his apron, there was a loud bark from the foyer.
"Oh good, they're home," he remarked as the dining room door was flung open, "Showers before dinner!" he scolded; the boys freezing and demurely backing out of the room with complaints of 'oh mom!'
Sasuke, rather smug that Itachi couldn't ground him, sauntered in as the others all sulkily went off to shower, and took a spot at the table.
"What are you looking so smug about?" Itachi inquired suspiciously.
"Nothing," Sasuke replied innocently as there was a loud crash from the stairs. Itachi sighed heavily; heading out to see what had happened.
Suigetsu and a sullen redhead were sitting in a large pile of mud in the middle of the staircase. Neji was standing there looking bored and was apparently assessing the situation.
"Sasuke borrowed Temari's spell-book again," Neji informed Itachi, his lips curling up into a small smile, "He…appears to have made Suigetsu and Gaara stick together again…" Itachi suppressed a snigger. Where Suigetsu melted, Gaara could completely turn himself to sand…which sometimes ended up messy when the pair of them collided.
" –Temari! Stop helping Sasuke hex people!" Itachi called out with a heavy sigh; leaping to one side to avoid Akamaru and Kiba barrelling past with Hidan chasing after them, shrieking something about being unable to control his body. There was a sudden explosion from somewhere upstairs and Naruto appeared in a sooty heap in a quick flash of light.
"Sasuke!" he snarled angrily, "Itachi! Sasuke got Deidara to help him make a bomb again!"
"Sasuke!" Itachi hollered, heading down to the dining room where he was brother was smirking and looking quite pleased with himself, "I suppose you think you're rather clever?"
"They started it," Sasuke sniffed, "Gaara put sand in my bed!" Itachi rolled his eyes as Ino and Shikamaru entered the room; Ino looked very excited and bubbly, and Shikamaru looked as tired as always.
Slowly, the teenagers trooped into the room; Naruto, Kiba and Neji having showered, and Suigetsu and Gaara having finally been separated. Finally, they were all sitting at the table together and Itachi sighed at the blissful silence pre-eating.
"So…how was everyone's day?" he asked politely, reaching out to start the meal; only to be suddenly greeted with thunderous noise as everyone started talking at once. Itachi just chuckled to himself; by now able to pick up on what everyone was saying despite how much was going on.
Sakura had really enjoyed her biology class; Gaara had been hit on by a senior, who Neji had then proceeded to beat up; Naruto already had homework and had sneezed in his lab and appeared just over the pool. Suigetsu had loved his marine biology class; Deidara hated art history but was already his practical art teacher's favourite; Kiba knew he was going to struggle in ethics class; Temari and Shikamaru were already working above their first year maths level. Kankuro already had homework for his engineering paper and Ino was excited about her botany paper. Keeping up was exhausting but he was used to it.
Dinner was normal.
Hidan's hands wandered all through everyone's food; stopped only when Temari stabbed one with a knife (resulting in shrieking) and Deidara set the other on fire –also setting the tablecloth on fire. Suigetsu obligingly flicked water at it and put it out. Kiba transformed into a dog and wouldn't stop putting his paws on the table despite how much Sakura tugged on his fur.
Naruto and Sasuke just wouldn't stop arguing; actually getting into a full-on fist-fight followed by a large-scale food-fight that involved all of the children and Hidan and Kisame chuckling; knowing he'd get in trouble with his boyfriend if he joined in. Gaara remained relatively calm until mashed potato hit him in the air; which was when his skin began dissolving into sand and darting out at people like a sandstorm.
Itachi just ducked obligingly as knives and food went whizzing past his head. Kisame thus received a vicious face-full of gravy and peas. Itachi just chuckled and kissed his cheek; licking some of the gravy off his cheek.
"Ew, mom!" the kids all complained mid-fight.
"Don't you 'ew mom' me!" Itachi sniffed, "I know what you're practically all doing on your Saturday nights!" There were several blushes as he glanced around the room knowingly as they quietened down…for about thirty seconds before Naruto and Sasuke broke out into arguing once more. Itachi sighed again; chuckling to himself as he heard Temari chanting a familiar spell that he was pretty sure would turn someone to stone. Plants were creeping up around Ino; shielding her hair from potential fire damage or food.
"Deidara; not the nice tablecloth," Itachi sniffed; again leaning back to avoid a stray ball of sand. He didn't know why he bothered. Dinner was the only time that they didn't behave themselves. The kids would have a wonderful, war-filled dinner and the dining room would end up as a complete mess; probably with Sasuke ending up vowing vengeance; and taking out his revenge later in the evening with some tricks and his allies of the evening.
So really, dinner wasn't normal.
But it was normal for them and he loved it. He loved these kids and he loved how good Kisame was to him; even if he embarrassed him by calling him girly nicknames when he was at work. He loved how much his brother smiled these days. And he was glad that the life of the supernatural was the life he and Sasuke were a part of.
End. Absolute end.
It is finally finished.
Hope you all enjoyed the trip!
So much love to all of you for keeping up! Reviews are so very much appreciated, and if you've already left one; you are totally fabulous!
xx K