sorry for the wait ;(

XXX

Chapter 7

All three children sprinted towards Naruto when they saw her at the front gate of Ino's house. The blonde was almost knocked over as the kids hugged her, and she showered kisses on their faces.

"Mother, I was so fucking worried!" Kaira yelled.

"Uchiha Kaira!" Naruto hissed. "You may not use such vulgar language!"

"Mama, what's flucking?" Momo asked impishly.

"Not a single word from you," Naruto snapped. The blonde glared at the infant before locking eyes with Ryūshiro. She reached for him and he gladly complied.

"They have an appetite, these kids." Ino walked out to where Itachi and Naruto were standing. "They eat enough to feed a starving village."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks, Ino. I'm so sorry for the trouble."

Another voice answered before Ino could. "Anytime, dickless."

"Sai!" Naruto said, exasperated. She glared at the smirking man who came to stand next to Ino. "Don't tell me you've corrupted my children with that kind of talk."

Sai merely smiled, his lips curling upwards in an ever so fake manner.

"Morning, Naruto-san," piped up Yuuta as he popped his head outside. Mana followed in his wake. "Morning, Itachi-san."

"Morning, Yuuta, Mana," Naruto said. "I hope Kaira wasn't a bother."

"Mom!"

"I'm kidding, Kaira," She hugged the indignant Uchiha. "Why so serious, honey?"

"Can you treat me like a mature individual, Mother?" the girl huffed.

Ino suddenly clapped her hands together. "Oh, Naruto, I just remembered. You might not have known, but Chuunin exams are in a month, and I was wondering if you'd think these three would be ready for it. Your opinion is valid too, Itachi-san."

Kaira, Yuuta, and Mana immediately brightened, and they directed three pleading pairs of eyes at Naruto and Itachi.

"Oh Mother," Kaira breathed, excitement shining in her face. She grabbed onto Naruto's arm. "We've been looking forward to Chuunin exams since we've become Genin!" She then turned to Itachi. "Father, can I please go?"

"Itachi-san, Naruto-san, it would mean everything to us!" Mana spoke up for the first time. Her spiky brown hair seemed to frizzle with enthusiasm. "We've trained so hard!"

Naruto bit her lip. "Your life can be on the line here. And you guys aren't even eleven." Worry flashed through her face, and she noticed the same expression – however subtle – in Itachi's face.

"We're willing to put in whatever we need in order to win!" Yuuta said fiercely. "Naruto-san, we won't lose. I promise."

Naruto stared at the three determined faces before looking towards Itachi's direction. She saw him give the slightest, grudging incline of his head. The blonde turned back to Ino and shrugged helplessly. "Well, there you go. I don't think we'll be able to find any other students more mentally prepared than they are."

Kaira squealed. "Oh Mom, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But Kaira," the blonde warned, "from today until the exam, I dictate your training schedule. Whenever I say train, you train. Whenever I tell you to stop, by all means, you stop. And the same goes for your eating and sleeping habits."

Ino concurred. "You guys too, Yuuta, Mana."

Kaira, Yuuta and Mana bowed their heads. "Yes!" came the unanimous answer.

"So controlling," Sai commented. "Who knew dickless had so much balls."

The vein on Naruto's forehead bulged. "Sai… one more 'dickless' from you and you won't be having much of a dick yourself to look at!"

Kaira, Mana, and Ino shrieked with laughter while Yuuta visibly paled.

Naruto then gave Ino a grateful hug. "Thanks for everything, dear. We'll be going on our way now. See you soon!"

Ino waved at the departing group. "Visit whenever you get the chance, everyone!"

XXX

Naruto took a deep breath when they arrived at the Manor's front doors. "Um..." she began. Her voice died in her throat.

"Mom?" Kaira asked hesitantly as Itachi raised his eyebrows.

Naruto sighed. "I have a confession to make." She winced. "Yesterday, I may have broken the dinner table."

Ryūshiro's eyes considerably widened, and Kaira's mouth popped open. Momo, on the other hand, clapped her hands together in hilarity and laughed.

"Mama did a bad thing!" the baby said, giggling. "Mama needs a time out!"

"Hush, child," Itachi said quietly and ruffled Momo's short black hair. "Don't make Mama feel worse about it."

Naruto scowled. "I just thought it would be worth mentioning before you guys go inside."

"But Mother!" Kaira exclaimed. "How do you go about breaking a dinner table? That table was ridiculously sturdy!"

The blonde winced. "Don't tell me it was vintage." The four Uchihas stayed quiet, and Naruto groaned. "Oh god, I am so sorry. Itachi, why did you never tell me?"

Itachi blinked. "We never did like the table, did we?"

The three kids quickly shook their heads.

"But Mother, why did you break it?" Kaira asked.

"I…" Naruto cringed. "I lost my temper."

Kaira immediately got the hint, and she sadly touched Naruto's arm. "Mother, are you going to live somewhere else now?"

"No!" Naruto said, hugging Kaira tightly. She kissed the worried girl on her forehead. "Kaira, I would never leave you guys. We're a family."

Itachi stepped closer, and Naruto proceeded to hug all four Uchihas in a big embrace. There was a moment of peaceful, contented silence, and Naruto smiled a small smile at Itachi, whose eyes glistened with satisfaction.

"Is Daddy inside?"

Even Itachi winced at Momo's question, and they all turned to gauge Naruto's expression.

The smile on Naruto's face grew bigger. "Of course he is. Do you want to go meet him?"

"Yes!"

Naruto took the key and inserted it into the door, unlocking it in one swift movement. She opened the door and grinned. "All right then, after you three!"

Ryūshiro, Kaira, and Momo walked inside first. As Itachi passed by Naruto, however, he quietly murmured at the blonde, "As I said, Naruto, you don't have to. Don't force yourself."

Naruto's eyes momentarily flashed, and she glowered at the man. "Itachi," she hissed. "As I told you, they make me happy." She grabbed his arm and roughly shoved the Uchiha inside.

To Naruto's surprise, the dining room was free of glass shards. She wondered incredulously if Sasuke had cleaned up the mess. The blonde then caught Itachi's raised eyebrows, and she cringed. For although the room was clean of any untidiness, the table itself was a whole different matter. Kaira and Ryūshiro stared at the gaping hole in the middle of the thick glass surface; there were at least a thousand cracks spiraling away from the gap.

"M-Mom," Kaira whispered in awe. "You did this amount of damage in just one punch?"

Naruto sighed. "Kids, please don't learn from Mommy. Losing one's temper is never a good thing."

Momo squealed with laughter. She could not see the huge hole, but she could definitely feel it. "Mommy, my whole body can fit here!"

"No, bad girl!" Naruto quickly whisked away the toddler from the broken table. "You can get cut by all those sharp edges, Momo! That will hurt, you silly baby."

Momo wiggled herself out of Naruto's grip and frowned. "Where's Daddy? I want to see Daddy!"

"I…" Naruto looked helplessly at Itachi. "Itachi?"

Itachi straightened. "Sasuke?" he said in a slightly raised voice.

"Itachi, he's not a dog," Naruto snorted in exasperation. "He's not going to come if you just call his name loudly on – " The blonde stopped in mid-sentence as a familiar chakra signature entered into the section of the house. Within another second, Sasuke appeared in the doorway. He wore a blue jacket and some black jeans, but there was no hiding the bandages wrapped around his chest.

"Sasuke-san!" Kaira exclaimed, bowing deeply.

"Kaira," the man acknowledged blankly. "Nii-san." There was a slight pause. "Naruto."

"Morning, Sasuke," Naruto said. The blonde turned to the toddler who was now coyly grabbing onto her leg. "Momo, why don't you go say hi to your daddy?" The small girl shook her head furiously, and Naruto crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you're shy. You're a lot of things, Uchiha Momo, but shy is not one of them. Now go say hi." She desperately shook her leg, but the girl clung on.

"No, Mama! Don't wanna!"

"Momo!" But no matter how Naruto moved her leg, Momo clung on tightly, crying and yelling. Naruto was at her wit's end. "Itachi, do something!"

But before Itachi could make a move, Ryūshiro suddenly grabbed his sister's hand, and the baby instantly stopped her racket. Ryūshiro then proceeded to tug her off Naruto's leg, and the small toddler complied. Itachi, Kaira, and Naruto watched wordlessly as Ryūshiro and Momo walked cautiously towards their father for the first time. Momo immediately latched herself upon Sasuke's leg, wiping her wet cheeks on his pants.

"Daddy," the baby cooed. "Up!" She raised her arms, indicating she wanted Sasuke to pick her up.

Sasuke, who had been stiffly standing in the doorway the whole time, faintly furrowed his eyebrows, but the coldness in his face had warmed ever so slightly. He bent down to take the small toddler into his arms, fumbling a little awkwardly at the not-so-familiar gesture. Ryūshiro took this vulnerable moment to hug his father's leg. The little boy placed two fingers on his lips before pressing them against Sasuke.

"He's saying he loves you," Naruto said quietly. Her gaze was affectionately fixated upon the small Uchiha boy, so she did not see the tremor that flashed through Sasuke's face.

"I love Daddy too!" Momo stated happily. "I love Mommy and Daddy!"

The wry smile on Naruto's face didn't go unnoticed. "And we love you too, Momo."

There was a pause.

"Kaira, be a good girl and take Shiro and Momo out to the garden," Naruto then said briskly as her eyes considerably tightened. "Your father and I need to have a talk with your uncle."

Kaira's face immediately became pained. "Again…?"

Momo squawked her protest. "No! Mommy's going to disappear again!"

Even Ryūshiro looked conflicted, as if his panicked eyes weren't a giveaway to the boy's discomfort at Naruto's words.

"Kids." Itachi had spoken up for the first time. "Don't disobey orders."

"But Mother... Are you sure you're not - leaving?" Kaira's voice shook.

Naruto grabbed Kaira into a tight embrace. "You silly girl, I told you. I'm not leaving. I never go back on my promises. You have to trust me."

The Uchiha girl hung her head. She reluctantly trudged to Sasuke and took an objecting Momo out of his arms, and the baby immediately buried her face into Kaira's neck. Kaira then beckoned for Ryūshiro, and the boy obediently followed after Kaira. Before disappearing out of the room, the Uchiha girl turned and smiled weakly at Naruto. Insecurity was etched into Kaira's liquid brown eyes.

"Mom… You can break the whole house down if you want. Just don't leave, okay?"

"You have my word."

And the trio left.

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Itachi and Sasuke exchanged a long look. There was almost something hilarious about the awkwardness of the situation; no one talked, no one moved. Seconds ticked by painfully.

"Okay." Naruto took a deep breath, purposely not meeting Sasuke's eyes. "I know I lost my temper yesterday. I have to admit, seeing you for the first time on such a short notice threw my emotions out of whack. But we are both mature adults here, and whatever... issues I may have against you in the past, I will do my best to control. I hope we can both put yesterday behind us."

Neither Uchiha moved.

"But what I said still holds. I really don't want any sort of contact with you, but as you can see, the kids already think I'm about to leave at any given moment. That is honestly the last thing on my mind, and I don't want them thinking anything different. So you and I have to pretend to be somewhat friendly. Would you agree, Sasuke?"

Sasuke slowly nodded.

Naruto suddenly surprised both men as she strode to Sasuke. He flinched when she placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two Uchiha men could only stare. Her hand glowed blue.

"You have one broken clavicle and one sprained shoulder. Why are you not at the hospital?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but his mouth tightened.

"I'm sorry, did I stutter?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"He's not on good terms with them," Itachi answered.

Naruto narrowed her eyes. "Not on good terms? It's a hospital, not a – "

"Sakura was the head doctor there," Sasuke cut in quietly. There was no emotion in his eyes.

The blonde blinked dubiously. Understanding dawned. "And now you don't trust the other nurses and doctors." Neither Uchiha made a comment, and she sighed jadedly. "You guys are a real piece of work. I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee the satisfying results a professional medic nin can. Go to the living room."

Sasuke subsequently left without another word, and Naruto stared after him in disbelief.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?" Itachi asked.

"I…" Naruto clenched her hands. "He doesn't trust the doctors in the hospital, but he trusts me? I… don't get it. I hate him. He knows that."

Itachi merely smiled, although the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

XXX

Naruto made Sasuke rest on the couch. She walked to the cabinet in the corner and opened it. There were lotions and creams of different sizes filling the long rows, and the blonde carefully selected a few. She stepped back to where Sasuke lied and sat down next to him, placing two fingers on his forehead.

"You don't have a fever, which means no infection." Naruto took out a pair of scissors. "I'm going to be cutting the bandages on your chest. Please don't move, or I'll be cutting more than just gauze." Sasuke stayed silent, though his eyes never left Naruto's face. The snipping sound of the scissors soon became the only noise in the entire room. Snip snip. Naruto tried to not let Sasuke's steady stare bother her. The blonde told herself to focus, that she was only healing the bastard because Momo would never stop crying if she suddenly lost her father. But she could feel her cheeks start to flush, and finally she decided to not put up with his bullshit.

"Why are you staring?" Naruto snapped in exasperation, straightening and crossing her arms. "Haven't people told you that it's rude?"

Sasuke didn't change his expression. It was almost as if he hadn't heard her outburst at all.

"If you have something to say, just say it. You don't need to glare me to death."

"I'm just making sure you know what you're doing," the Uchiha said blankly.

Naruto glowered. "Don't misunderstand me, Uchiha. I'm only healing you because your children need their father. Don't take this as an invitation to act how you want."

Sasuke made a small noise in the back of his throat. He pointedly looked away towards the window, giving Naruto the privacy that she wanted.

The blonde's scowl deepened at the Uchiha's condescending attitude, but she held her tongue. Resuming her cutting, she focused at the task on hand. It had been months since she'd healed another shinobi, and although she hated Sasuke with a passion, she was genuine when she said that she didn't want to leave Shiro and Momo both mother and fatherless.

"Okay the bandages are cut. Can you remove them yourself? I don't want to touch you in case I jar your injuries."

Sasuke quietly obeyed her order and Naruto turned her attention to the medicine ointments on the table. She took a bottle of treatment lotion and squirted it onto her hands. The woman thought back to her training, remembering the necessary chakra movements and flow needed to heal broken bones. She then directed her attention back to Sasuke. And froze.

She had forgotten how muscular and flawless his chest was. In the span of nine years, Sasuke had grown so much more masculine, and if Naruto had not been an experienced shinobi, the shock she felt would've been evident on her face. But she quickly hid her moment of surprise behind a pokerface, and she doubted Sasuke realized what had just flitted through her mind. Naruto fixated on the nasty purple bruise that resided in Sasuke's collar bone area. The injury greatly contrasted against Sasuke's pale skin, and it looked like it had been causing the man a lot of discomfort. Naruto furrowed her eyebrows in thought as she analyzed the wound, and she took the hand that was covered with ointment and gently pressed it against Sasuke's chest.

He involuntarily flinched, and she almost recoiled back, worried that she had hurt him with her touch. But then she realized she was barely applying any pressure against the wound, and she confusedly looked at Sasuke. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, and in Sasuke's black eyes she saw a flash of raw emotion so sharp that it caused Naruto's breath to hitch in her throat, and for a second she forgot she hated the man.

"Idiot," Sasuke then said flatly, no expression now in his black depths. "Are you going to heal me or not?"

Naruto started, her thoughts jumbled and her mind in a whirl. Memories flitted in and out of consciousness. She opened her mouth, she didn't know what she wanted to say, and –

"Mother!" Naruto turned to see a joyous Kaira run towards her. The girl's face was flushed with happiness. "You stayed!"

Naruto quickly collected her composure and smiled back. "As I told you I would. Where are the babies?"

"Father's playing with them," Kaira replied. The girl nodded once to Sasuke in respect. "I asked to come because he said you were healing Sasuke-san and I wanted to watch. May I, Mother?"

"Of course, Kaira. It would be my pleasure."

As Naruto returned to the task, she could not help but stare at Sasuke, who was now closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore the two women in the room. Yesterday, Naruto had felt nothing but satisfying revenge at hurting Sasuke with vindictive words. But today… Naruto wondered if it were possible for them to mend their broken relationship. Yet even as she considered the thought, a feeling so repulsive clamped her heart, and she pushed that thought to the far corners of her consciousness.

"Mother, why is your chakra visible?" Kaira asked, perplexed. "My Sharingan isn't activated, but your chakra is red."

Naruto hesitated. She realized Sasuke's eyes were open now and peering at her in curiosity as he waited to see how she'd answer Kaira's question.

"Well, it's a bloodline trait."

Kaira's eyes widened. "You have kekkei genkai, Mom?"

"Sort of," Naruto said carefully. "It's hard to explain, but my mother had it and she passed it down to me, so I supposed that's bloodline." Naruto saw surprise pass through Sasuke's face, and she realized Sasuke had never known who Naruto's parents were, as she had never told him.

"Your mother must've been very powerful," Kaira said reverently.

"She was," answered Naruto softly. "She sacrificed her life for me."

"How old were you?"

Naruto smiled sadly. "I was just born."

"And your father?"

"He died with her. They both gave up their lives for me." Naruto saw how Kaira had trouble choosing the right words, and the blonde laughed freely. "Sweetheart, do not be disheartened. I love my parents more than anything else in the world, but it does not cause me pain to reflect on their death. If I were in their position, I would have done the same, and I would not want my child spending the rest of his or her life living in guilt."

Kaira's eyes watered. "So it's not a bad thing that I don't feel… as much agony as Father when I think… think about my mother?"

"Child, do you love her?"

"Of course!" Kaira's face burned with conviction, and her eyes glowed. "I love her so much, even though I remember near to nothing about her. But… Is it disrespectful to accept you as my mother into my life? Naruto-san… Mother, I love you but to my biological mother…"

Naruto hooked a finger underneath Kaira's chin and tilted it so the Uchiha girl could look straight into Naruto's piercing blue eyes. "I would never try to replace the spot in your heart that you have for your biological mother, Kaira."

Kaira's face relaxed at Naruto's comforting words and she kissed the blonde's fingers.

"Mother, are you going to marry my father?"

Naruto did not miss the sudden rigidity in Sasuke's body. She spared him a glance and saw the man staring at her with such a fierceness that shot through her soul. Was it love or anger or jealousy? She could not discern it, but she knew he needed to relax in order for her to heal him.

"Sasuke, if you wouldn't mind loosing your muscles…"

A look of hatred contorted his facial features for a split second – a second so fast that Naruto knew Kaira must've missed it – and Sasuke made a motion as if he were going to leave. Naruto immediately narrowed her eyes at him threateningly, and he decided otherwise, closing his eyes once more. Although his body subsequently became slack, Naruto did not miss the pinched expression on his face, and she knew he was edgily waiting as Kaira was for Naruto's response.

"No, my dear," Naruto said. "I am not."

Kaira bit her lip. "Do you not love him?"

"I love him as I would a brother. He feels the same way. I'm sure you know that."

"Is there someone else, Mother?" Kaira asked, disappointed.

"There was." Naruto blinked once. "He is gone." She saw the million more questions burning in Kaira's eyes, and the blonde raised an eyebrow in a reprimanding manner. "I was under the impression that you came here to learn about healing, sweetie."

Kaira blushed. "Sorry, Mother. I did not mean to pry. I am too happy that you decided to stay."

"I am happy too, Kaira." Naruto shifted so that her hand was no longer placed against Sasuke's collarbone, which was now as pale and flawless as the rest of Sasuke's toned body. "I'm going to mend your shoulder now, Sasuke."

"Wow…" Kaira breathed. "His wound is completely healed. Mother, were you ever a medic nin?"

"No," Naruto chuckled. "I was too hotheaded to stay out of the front lines of battle. But I learned quite a lot from my mentors and elders, as you should now. Watch carefully, little one. This skill might save you a lot of trouble during the Chuunin exams."

Sasuke spoke for the first time. "When is it?"

Kaira almost jumped at the sound of her uncle's voice, as if she had forgotten he was living creature and not just a dummy for testing purposes. "Next month, Sasuke-san."

He spared his niece a scrutinizing glance. "You're participating with Ino's twins?"

"Y-yes."

"Best of luck," Sasuke said with a softer tone. "I'm sure you will do us proud."

Kaira absolutely glowed at the rare compliment, and even Naruto managed to give Sasuke a genuine look of gratitude. But Sasuke had already directed his eyes towards the ceiling, lost deep in thought.

"Kaira, will you pass me that ointment?" Naruto asked.

Kaira obeyed. She squirted the lotion onto Naruto's hands and watched intently as Naruto spread it all over her palms before placing her hands gently against Sasuke's dislocated shoulder.

"Mother, what is that for?"

"It's to help with chakra control. It works as a mediator and helps the flow of my chakra against Sasuke's skin. That way he won't feel much discomfort with my foreign energy force inside his body."

"I've never seen the hospital medics use it."

Naruto chuckled. "It's homemade, my dear. And I'm not allowed to pass on the secrets of this ointment. But I want you to bring some to your Chuunin exams. You can use it to heal yourself."

"I'll be honored, Mother."

A comfortable silence settled in the room. Kaira watched intently as Naruto healed Sasuke. The muscle and bone beneath the skin shifted slowly, and if Sasuke felt any discomfort at the feeling, he certainly didn't show it. A sweat broke upon Naruto's brow as she concentrated at the task. She was scared to call upon Kyuubi's immense chakra supply, for the last thing she wanted was her kids to uncover the dark horrors of her past. But seeing no other alternative, Naruto gave in and the area around her hand suddenly burned in an orange flame. Kaira moved slightly, wanting to ask questions but knowing better to keep her mouth shut. Another few moments passed, and Naruto finally withdrew, sighing contentedly.

"I'm finished. Move your shoulder, Sasuke."

Sasuke rotated his arm. He blinked, satisfied. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome," Naruto replied matter-of-factly. "Kaira, I'm going to make lunch. We'll eat in two hours or so. Go out and play."

Kaira cocked her head sideways. "What takes two hours to cook lunch?"

Naruto laughed. "I'll be cooking your favorite Shepherd's pie and making barbeque ribs celebrating Sasuke's return. For dinner, we can all go to that big fancy hotpot restaurant downtown. The babies have been wanting to go there for a long time. It helps that your father doesn't have ANBU duties today, so he can join us."

"Hotpot!" Kaira exclaimed in excitement. "That sounds delicious, Mom!"

Naruto hugged the Uchiha girl. "Go on now. Tell your cousins of the news. And Itachi too, so he doesn't dare go back to work."

Kaira happily ran off after she kissed Naruto on both her whiskered cheeks. Naruto then turned to Sasuke, who had been stiffly sitting on the opposite ends of the couch.

"You'll go tonight?"

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

"That is correct," Naruto said blankly. "But your kids can't grow up without knowing the meaning of family. I don't want them spending their childhood like u – " The blonde paused. "Like me," she finished quietly. Both of them knew what Naruto had meant to say, and Sasuke felt a pang of sadness at Naruto's obvious attempt to sever all connections with him, past or present.

"Thank you for healing my injuries," he said. "You didn't have to."

"Don't flatter yourself. Must've been a tough mission."

"Not as tough as yours was, I'm sure."

Naruto stilled. She slowly directed her piercing gaze towards Sasuke's impassive face. "Excuse me?"

"They tell me you've been back for months now. But you still haven't picked up the ANBU uniform. People have been talking."

"That is none of your business!" Naruto hissed angrily. "You have no right to judge shit that you don't fucking - "

In a flash, Sasuke's palm was firmly placed on Naruto's mouth. Her eyes widened, but she made no move to pull away. The Uchiha and the blonde stared at each other, breath hitched in their throats. Sasuke's face seemed to tilt slightly towards Naruto's, but he caught himself.

"Your team. They're strong ninjas. They'll make it back home okay."

And he got up and left the room without a backwards glance.

Naruto dazedly brought her fingers up to touch where Sasuke's hand had been. The area tingled, and she realized that she was trembling. But the weirdest thing of all wasn't the sudden blush on her cheeks, or the unnerving inability to steady her quaking legs. It was the big, gaping hole in her chest that suddenly seemed to throb a little bit less, as if Sasuke's brief parting words had somehow comforted her pain when everyone else's attempts had proved so futile.

Naruto let herself fall onto the couch. She hadn't felt so contented and so conflicted in a long while. A million thoughts, a million emotions crashed down upon her, leaving her breathless and confused.

"Where is my happy ending?"

Review please! thank youuu