17. The Odd Looks and The Lunch Meeting

It had been a weird day, Naruto mused as he walked to from the library to his next class. He had been hiding in a corner in the library for the entirety of his lunch, not even answering texts from his friends, because the attention from everyone had been too much. People had given him weird and sometimes even disgusted looks and he had absolutely no idea why. He had checked his clothes time and again and even stopped by the restrooms several times to look in the mirror, but he couldn't find anything wrong with his appearance. And he didn't know what else would make people look at him weird. Well, weirder than they had before.

The hallway was empty, which he was eternally thankful for. It was a smaller hallway where mostly storage rooms for the arts department were located, so not many knew it was a shortcut from the library to the economics department.

Suddenly the world tilted and he was falling.

"Whoa!"

Naruto barely had time to catch himself on his hands as he tumbled to the stone floor. Too preoccupied by his thoughts, he had failed to hear the approaching footsteps. He grimaced at the pain shooting up through his knees and hands.

"Hey what's the big idea?" he grumbled and got back onto his feet, dusting off his pants.

As he turned around five sneering guys greeted him, all looking at him smugly, as if they knew some great secret he should be dying to be let in on. He frowned at them, then glanced around the hallway. It was as empty as ever, which meant they had absolutely no reason to run him over.

"You know guys," he said calmly and turned back to their smug faces, "there's an entire hallway and more than enough space. Is there a problem?"

One of them stepped forward and crossed his arms, sneer twisting his face.

"There's no place for homos in my university," he said, looking way too pleased with himself. The guys behind him snickered.

A beat of silence followed and the only response Naruto managed was blinking at him. Then an incredulous laugh bubbled out of him.

"Oh wow," he chortled. "Okay."

He couldn't stop laughing. He didn't know who these guys were, but judging by the way the apparently thought they were still in high school they had to be freshmen. They began to look uncomfortable as he continued laughing. These guys were taking themselves too seriously and Naruto couldn't help but find it amusing.

"I'm not sure why your opinions should matter to me, since I barely know you guys," he chuckled and bent down to pick up his bag. "But thanks for the laugh. Have a nice day."

They all looked extremely confused, glancing at each other uncertainly. He shot them a salute with two fingers to his forehead and turned around to leave.

"But…!" one of them called as he walked away. "You're a homo!"

Naruto just laughed and shook his head, raising his hand in a wave without looking back. Still chuckling to himself, he rounded the corner and continued on his way to class.

Sadly, he was quite used to insults out of nowhere, and had learned long ago to ignore them. What did it matter if people, who he didn't know and wouldn't hang out with anyway, thought his second hand clothes put him beneath their level or if guys insecure of their masculinity were scared of his bisexuality. Though he had to wonder how those five guys had come to the conclusion that he was gay, since the university was big and people didn't really gossip as much as they would in high school.

Deciding not to dwell too much on it, he entered his classroom and spied Kiba and Shikamaru in the back, bent over something on Kiba's desk.

"What's up guys?" he greeted them as he approached them. "What're you looking at?"

Kiba jumped and Shikamaru turned, swiftly grabbing what looked like a magazine, moving it out of Naruto's line of sight.

"Um," Kiba said, voice breaking like it usually did when he was nervous. "Nothing."

Shikamaru sighed and turned his eyes to the ceiling in what could only be described as extreme exasperation. Naruto raised his eyebrows at them.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Sure. Convincing."

He dumped his bag on the desk beside them, ignoring their eyes on him, and sat down, pulling his books out. He busied himself with his things until their guard began to let down. Then he swiftly snatched the magazine from Shikamaru's grip, holding it out of reach when he tried getting it back.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Naruto, don't," Shikamaru warned and tried grabbing it again to no avail.

Naruto dodged his hands and turned his back on his friends to flip through the pages without having the magazine yanked out of his hold. It was mostly just celebrity gossip and diet tips. Naruto snorted.

"Why are you guys reading this kind of thing?" he asked and turned back. "Since when were you into gossip magazines? Not that I'm judging. You don't have to hide it if you do like it."

Kiba and Shikamaru exchanged a frustrated glance that somehow looked relieved at the same time, and Naruto looked between them, confused. He closed the magazine to hand it back to them.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kiba said again and reached out to take it from him.

Naruto's eyes fell to the glossy cover just as Kiba's fingers were about to grab onto the magazine and he pulled it out of reach again, his heart sinking. He stared at the front page and his lungs refused to work properly as cold spread through his veins.

On the front page, among the pictures of other celebrities and bold texts advertising new trends for dieting, was a small little corner dedicated to a picture of him and Emi. It must have been taken by paparazzi, because neither of them seemed aware of the camera and it looked as if they were outside somewhere. Underneath the picture was the text 'Uchiha Emi's upbringing and mental health at risk? Read more on page 12.'

Swallowing harshly, Naruto flipped a few pages forward until he landed on page twelve, where there were even more pictures of him and Emi and even some of Sasuke and a woman he didn't recognize. The article – if it could even be called that – investigated Emi's supposed future mental issues and problems due to not having a proper mother by her side. It also painted Naruto as a bad influence and a greedy gay man, though the implications were subtle, and slandered him for hindering Emi's growth as a girl.

Naruto stared at the page, the pictures and words blurring together. At least he knew from where those guys had gotten the idea he was a homo.

"Where did you find this?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"It's everywhere," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. "It's one of the more popular entertainment magazines."

Naruto's throat ran dry and he rubbed his face.

"Fuck," he hissed under his breath.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up at Shikamaru.

"Don't worry," he said and Kiba nodded. "We'll stand by you."

Naruto gave them a weak smile. Then it dropped again.

"It's not me I'm worried about," he murmured. "It's Emi."

Both Shikamaru and Kiba's expressions grew serious.

"She'll probably be fine," Kiba tried reassuring. "She's got Sasuke's influence and popularity on her side. Their family can take care of her. You're the one who's in danger here. You don't have that kind of protection."

Heart stuttering, Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and pressed his hands to his face.

"Naruto, you…" Shikamaru began and cut off in a way that was very uncharacteristic of him. He always had the right words to say.

Naruto looked up, waiting for him to continue. Shikamaru glanced around and leaned in a little closer.

"Are you and Uchiha really involved?" he asked, voice so low Naruto barely heard him.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat and lodged itself in his throat, his blood rushing in his ears. He stared wide-eyed at him for a moment, quickly glancing at Kiba who simply stared back at him.

He knew they were okay with his sexuality, but this was a little bit different. It was Sasuke Uchiha after all, someone who was known worldwide and received a lot of attention. They might not like it just because of that, because it put Naruto in a dangerous position. They didn't like all the attention and stalking Naruto already got for being perceived as his friend. But he wasn't going to lie to them.

"I–," his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Yeah. I am."

Shikamaru nodded, as if he had expected the answer, but Kiba groaned.

"Naruto, what did I tell you?" he complained. "Like the first thing I said was to not get involved."

Naruto scowled at him.

"Well, sorry," he grumbled. "It's not really something I can control."

Kiba huffed.

"And there's also that thing that happened to one of the Uchiha's lover before," he continued. "Why on earth would you think it's a good idea to subject yourself to that?"

Staring down at his lap, Naruto pressed his lips together.

"Because I love them," he mumbled, interrupting whatever more Kiba wanted to scold him for.

Silence fell between them and Naruto couldn't bring himself to look up at his friends. Then he heard a heavy sigh.

"Then we'll just have to deal with whatever is coming," Shikamaru said. "If you ever need help, call us, okay? You're not going to meet the same end as that other lover."

Naruto glanced up at him though his hair, then at Kiba who had pursed his mouth. He met Naruto's gaze though, and nodded in agreement. A lump formed in Naruto's throat.

"Thank you," he managed to choke out.

Shikamaru gave his back a pat and sat down as the professor entered and began the lecture.

Naruto had never been more thankful for his friends than he was at that moment.

Sasuke blew out a deep breath and opened his eyes, his gaze falling to the table in front of him. He watched the sunlight filtering through the window to his left glint against the plates, glasses and cutlery laid out on the table. Then he let his eyes travel along the walls, over the small painted flowers, trying his best to keep his mind blank. It had been spinning nonstop ever since morning, and he just wanted some peace, just for a little bit, especially when he would have to deal with another stressful situation in a few minutes. He had thought about calling Naruto, but hadn't wanted to disturb him at university and worry him.

As if on cue, the door to the private room he had booked at the restaurant for lunch opened. He closed his eyes for a second before he stood up and turned.

She looked just like she had when she left. Her hair impeccably styled and shining, her skin smooth, her clothes the latest fashion.

"Sasuke," she greeted, swaying a little in her spot as if unsure if she should approach him or not.

"Miyo," Sasuke greeted her back. He moved around the table and pulled out her chair, just like he remembered her always demanding.

A sweet smile graced her lips. A smile Sasuke had never seen before. She sat down and he returned to the seat across from her. Before any of them could speak, a waiter entered the room and gave them each a menu, took their drinking orders and disappeared again. They both decided to look at the menu instead of speaking right away.

"I've been trying to contact you for weeks," Miyo said after a few minutes.

Sasuke glanced up at her.

"I don't answer unknown numbers," he said. "You should remember that."

Miyo pursed her lips.

"So you deleted my number?"

Taking a quiet breath, Sasuke closed his menu and put it down.

"Why should I have kept it?" he asked. "You made it quite clear you wanted nothing to do with either me or my daughter."

Something flashed in Miyo's eyes and she put her menu down as well.

"Your daughter?"

Well, he was kind of beginning to think of Emi as his and Naruto's daughter, really, but there was no chance he would ever tell Miyo that. So, he simply raised his eyebrows. Miyo didn't get a chance to take the discussion further as the waiter returned to give them their drinks and take their orders.

"What do you want, Miyo?" Sasuke sighed when the waiter left again. "It's been two years."

Miyo stared down at her plate for a moment, as if she was thinking of her words, her hands in her lap. Then she took a breath and looked up at him.

"I-I want…" She bit her lip, not quite meeting his eyes. "I realized I made a mistake."

Sasuke stared at her.

"A mistake?"

She nodded.

"When I left I didn't realize I left Emi in such a bad position," she said. "I thought she would be fine, but she does need a woman in her life. Right now she's surrounded by men most of the time and, well…"

Sasuke snorted.

"So, you've read the magazines and seen the talk shows."

She flinched.

"Yeah. However, it is a bit of a stretch to assume you and that boy are involved," she laughed, though it sounded forced. "You were married to me after all, and we had Emi."

Sasuke kept his face carefully blank, but inside his blood ran cold and he felt like throwing up.

"So what?" Sasuke said. Though he sounded calm and collected, he could hear the strain in his voice but no one else would be able to. "You want to try being Emi's mother? Is that it?"

Miyo pressed her lips together and nodded. Opening his mouth, Sasuke was about to refuse her. The only thing she had ever really cared for was herself. There was no way he could trust her with Emi.

Then the memory of Emi asking for a mother floated to the surface of his mind and a lump formed in his throat. Of course, she had forgotten all about mothers now, since she had Naruto, but how long would that last? And when she once again began longing for a mother, wouldn't it be better for her to actually spend time with her real mother than any other woman?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and looked her over. Though he didn't particularly believe it, maybe people could change.

"I will think about it," he forced out. "If I find you've changed."

Miyo didn't seem happy with that answer, but didn't protest. The rest of their lunch was spent in awkward small talk and Sasuke learned that Miyo had been travelling a lot. To his astonishment, she seemed more mature, not as star struck by him as she had been in the beginning of their marriage, and when he later returned to his office and looked her up he couldn't find any articles about her.

A call startled him out of his research and he looked at the phone. Itachi's name lit up the screen, but he decided not to answer. He had so much thinking to do and he wasn't sure what to do anymore. What was best for Emi? And what would keep society from destroying his little family?

"Nana!" Emi called as soon as she burst through the door to Sasuke's childhood home. "Grandpapa!"

Naruto smiled as he followed her, casting a glance at a chuckling Itachi behind him. It had been a surprise to see him instead of the normal driver when Naruto had made his way off campus. He had already picked Emi up from kindergarten and they had been waiting for him at the back of the university, which was where he was dropped off and picked up nowadays. It was only then Naruto learned that they weren't going home that day, but back to see Mikoto and Fugaku.

"In here sweetheart!" came Mikoto's voice from the left.

Without missing a beat, Emi pivoted and charged right through the door to the room. Naruto quickly followed her; half afraid she would trip and fall in her haste, but came to a halt in the doorway.

The room was extraordinary. Exotic paintings and tapestries hung on the wall, what looked like hand painted cups and plates were proudly shown off in cases of glass, couches and armchairs that looked as if they belonged in a museum were strewn in a fashionable half circle around a dark, heavy looking coffee table, which was facing a fireplace upon which picture frames were crowded. In one corner a pristine, ivory grand piano stood, almost demanding attention.

"Wow," Naruto breathed.

Someone chuckled and he looked toward the couch where both Mikoto and Fugaku were seated, Emi having clambered up and placed herself between them.

"I see you like our sitting room," Fugaku said with a smile and gestured for him to sit in an armchair. "You arrived just in time. Would you like some tea?"

Only then did Naruto notice two teapots, five cups, and platters of sandwiches, pastries, cakes and fruit.

"Oh," Naruto sat down in the armchair gingerly, afraid he would break it. "Thank you."

Itachi fell into the armchair across from him and filled up a plate with sandwiches.

"What? I'm starving," he said when he noticed Naruto's and his parents stares. "Playing personal driver is exhausting. We should give our drivers a raise."

Naruto bit his lip to hide a smile while Fugaku heaved a heavy sigh. Mikoto ignored her son in favor of turning back to Naruto, her smile soft but her eyes worried. She picked up one of the teapots and poured some in the cup in front of Naruto.

"I'm sorry to get right into it, but my cousin informed me about the article in the magazine," she said as she put the teapot down again and Naruto's heart skipped a beat. "And also about the morning show."

"Morning show?" Naruto asked, watching Emi happily munch on a sandwich.

"Yes. Some women discussing family life and whatnot," Fugaku said. "Apparently someone leaked your personal information and the media is now making assumptions about you based on it."

"What is assum – assumions?" Emi piped up between her grand parents, curious eyes moving from one to another.

Their eyes snapped to her and stared, as if they had forgotten she was there. Then Mikoto smiled and caressed her hair.

"It is when someone makes a decision about something from information they have read or heard about it," she explained. "But an assumption is not always right, and it might cause problems."

Emi looked down at her sandwich with a thoughtful nod. Naruto had the urge to take her into his arms, hug her tight and shield her from the world. She wasn't supposed to worry about things like that. She was still a child, who shouldn't worry about big words and their implications. But before he could move Mikoto had shot a look at her husband over Emi's head and Fugaku had nodded, hoisted Emi into his arms and stood.

"What do you say we practice a little piano, hm?" he said and Emi's face brightened.

"Yes!" she said happily and Naruto was relieved that she seemed to successfully have been distracted from what they had just talked about. For now, at least.

"Has your dad bought you a piano yet?" Fugaku asked as they made their way over to the grand piano.

Emi shook her head.

"No, he says he'll wait and when I'm taller and can reach the pedals he'll buy it because he doesn't have time to practice with me," she explained as they sat down on the stool. "He doesn't like the small pianos because they don't sound properly."

Fugaku made an understanding noise, before asking her what she remembered from last time and soon a halting melody that sounded like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star filled the room. Even though the reason Emi was playing was so she couldn't hear their conversation, Naruto couldn't help but smile as he watched her.

"Sasuke plays the piano?" he asked and turned back to Mikoto and Itachi.

"He used to," Itachi answered. "Was quite good at it too. Ask him to show you sometime."

Naruto nodded, his smile falling at the serious expressions on their faces. He cleared his throat and his lip caught between his teeth. Mikoto motioned for him to sit beside her and he obliged, still chewing his lip. A small smile made it onto her face and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it a little.

"Your lip is going to bleed," she said softly.

Naruto could have laughed, but only managed a weak smile back at her and relaxed a little. He glanced at Itachi who was watching him intently.

"I'm sorry to inform you," he began slowly, "that this is how it began last time. With father's uncle."

Naruto's heart stopped and his blood ran cold. He instinctively squeezed Mikoto's hand and she squeezed back in reassurance.

"O-oh?" he stammered.

Itachi nodded.

"They began speculating and digging deeper much like they're doing now," he said. "Though last time there wasn't a child involved."

Swallowing harshly, Naruto glanced at Emi still happily playing piano.

"And then they started following them?" Naruto murmured. "People began looking at them weirdly and confronting them?"

"Yes," Mikoto said softly.

Naruto took a shaky breath. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

"It has already happened to you, hasn't it?" Mikoto asked and Naruto meet her eyes.

They were as intent and calculating as they had been the first time he met her, as if she was seeing right through him, and he knew there was no point in lying.

"Yeah," he croaked, his throat dry. He stared down at his lap. "There was a group of guys earlier today that thought they'd tell me there was no place for someone like me at their university. And I've gotten odd looks all day."

Itachi sighed.

"It's starting then," he muttered and frowned. "I've tried to contact Sasuke all day but he hasn't answered and I haven't had the time to stop by the office. He must be aware of this. It's weird he hasn't called any of us yet."

"At least he knows they're here," Mikoto said. "We left him a message this morning."

Naruto stared down at his lap, his heart beating irregularly in oncoming panic. What would happen to Emi if the media began hounding him as they had done to their relative's lover? She would be put at risk if she were with him. Naruto could handle whatever they did to him, but he wouldn't be able to bear anything happening to Emi.

Using the hand that was still connected to Naruto's, Mikoto opened his hand so she could place his cup of tea in it before she reached over and filled a plate with sandwiches to put before him. Naruto blinked a little and looked up at her. Letting out a soft sigh she reached up and brushed her thumb over his cheek.

"It will be okay," she said gently. "We're better equipped to handle it this time. We're stronger. Let us take care of you."

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, his heart aching. No one had ever offered him such protection before. He had always been on his own. But now he had not only his friends trying to protect him, but people who was close to being his family offering him safety as well. All in one day, without any hesitation from any of them. He'd never known familiarity like this.

"I'm sorry," he said, voice wobbly, as a tear escaped down his cheek. He put his cup down, as his hand was shaking dangerously, and dried the tear away. "I don't know what's with me."

Mikoto pulled him into a hug, holding his head to her shoulder, and more tears ran down his cheeks, soaking into her shirt.

"Sorry," he mumbled again and hesitantly hugged her back. "Thank you."

"Naruto, you must know you're one of us," Itachi said. "Of course we'll protect you."

Naruto could only manage an unintelligible, watery sound as a response. He gently pulled away from Mikoto to look at them and, upon seeing their piercingly intelligent eyes, it hit him. They knew. They knew just what this meant to him, from whatever background check they had run. They didn't think he was a lying, scheming bastard, like so many others would. They thought he was worth their trust and affection.

He didn't know what to say. How to even begin expressing his gratitude.

"Papa?" came Emi's small voice and he startled, looking over at where she sat by the piano. "Why are you sad? Are you hurt?"

Naruto cleared his throat and quickly dried his cheeks. Before he could reassure her, she had slid off the stool and run over to him. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he picked her up and held her close. Her arms wound around his neck.

"I'm fine, baby," he murmured into her hair. "Did you finish practicing?"

She nodded against his shoulder. After taking a deep, steadying breath Naruto pulled back and smiled at her, pushing some of her hair out of her face.

"Okay, let's eat some cake then," he said. "There are at least three kinds."

Although she gave him a skeptic look, she nodded and turned around in his lap. They didn't talk more about it for the rest of the afternoon and evening, focusing instead on discussing Emi's progress in reading and writing and what she was doing in kindergarten. When her eyelids grew heavy, Fugaku insisted they stay over and Itachi thought it would be best for them both to take tomorrow off from school so they could prepare for what the near future might bring. Naruto wanted to protest, but thought about how it would benefit Emi's safety, and ended up agreeing.

They still hadn't gotten a hold of Sasuke. Naruto hadn't been able to gather up the strength to call him himself until he lay in bed, Emi curled into his side since she had refused to sleep alone, and thought of him all alone back at home.

Careful not to jostle Emi's head, which was resting on his arm, he reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his phone. He hesitated for a moment as he saw the time, 00:41. He didn't want to wake Sasuke if he had gone to sleep. Then he decided that he couldn't just not call him and pressed the call button.

"Naruto?" Sasuke answered on the first ring, as if he had been holding the phone already.

Warm fondness spread through Naruto's chest at his voice.

"Hi," he breathed. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Sasuke said. "I was just thinking of calling you. You're at my parents' right? Should I come get you?"

Naruto smiled to himself.

"It's okay, we're staying over," he said softly. "I just couldn't help thinking about you being all alone."

Sasuke hummed and silence fell between them for a moment.

"Sasuke?" Naruto murmured, watching Emi's peacefully sleeping face. "Did you… Do you know about the article about Emi in some entertainment magazine? Or the morning talk show?"

A heavy sigh made the line crackle.

"I saw the show," he mumbled. "This morning."

Naruto swallowed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Why are you apologizing?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto couldn't answer. He was the cause of this entire thing after all. If he hadn't been in Sasuke and Emi's lives they wouldn't be in this situation. But he couldn't find any words that seemed right to express his feelings. Sasuke seemed to understand anyway.

"Naruto," he said. "This is not your fault. You can't change how narrow-minded people are."

Naruto pulled Emi closer to himself and breathed in her scent.

"Your family tried reaching you all day," he changed the subject. "They were worried."

Sasuke let out another sigh.

"Yeah, I was a little occupied. I had a lot to think about." There was a frustrated sound. "I met Emi's mother, Miyo."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"You did?" he asked, voice breathless. "What happened?"

"She has apparently watched the shows and read the magazines as well and wants to be a better mother. Or just a mother in general," Sasuke muttered. "I don't know what to do about it."

Biting his lip, Naruto looked down at Emi again.

"Didn't Emi want two parents?" he whispered. "Maybe it would be good for her to get to know Miyo."

"Naruto–," Sasuke began.

"Listen," Naruto cut him off. "I know what it's like to want parents, a mother. And if Emi's mother wants to try to get to know her, she should be given that chance. For Emi's sake."

Silence fell again and Naruto could almost hear Sasuke thinking.

"Okay," Sasuke said after a long pause. "But you do know she already has two parents. She's not only my daughter anymore."

A smile stretched Naruto's lips and happiness filled his heart.

"I know," he whispered. "Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

He heard Sasuke's breathing stop and bit his lip to keep from chuckling. It seemed to take some time for Sasuke to collect himself, because he was silent for a few long minutes. Not that Naruto was worried, he was quite sure of Sasuke's feelings for him.

"I–," Sasuke's voice broke and he cleared his throat. Naruto wished he could see his face. "I love you, too."

Naruto's heart skipped several beats and he felt full of warm cotton. He chuckled silently.

"I can't believe we said it for the first time over the phone," he teased.

Sasuke snorted.

"You said it first," he murmured, and Naruto could almost hear the smile in his voice.

He hummed.

"I did," he said softly.

Sasuke chuckled. Then silence fell, but neither of them could bring themselves to say good night and hang up. So they ended up listening to each other's breathing until they both fell asleep, not caring about the phone bill.

*Crawls out of hole*

Um... hey... so... I updated? Sorry for the long wait, but it's really been hectic for me lately and I haven't had the energy to write anything in a while. I hope you aren't too mad at me!

So, I guess we finally know who the unknown caller is. I swear it wasn't supposed to be creepy. There is a reason for her insistence. Also, Itachi and Mikoto are the smartest people in the family, just saying.

Okay, I'm gonna go back to my hole now. See you in the next chapter!