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Warnings: Contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is not suitable for anyone below the age of 16 per FFN guidelines.
June 25th, the seventh week
Sasuke talked, his voice barely louder than the sound of the shower as Naruto silently listened. The blonde watched and listened with such a calm it scared the Uchiha, this news was not something he expected the blonde to just listen to. His nervousness became evident as he talked through the whole shower. He washed his hair, let Naruto wash his back and clean him as he told Naruto all about Kyoko finding out just by looking. His time in the forest of death had been explained while they were redressing, slipping on new, clean clothes.
The blonde wore his favorite orange shirt and black pants, Sasuke in a short-sleeved blue shirt and a pair of Naruto's boxers, all of Sasuke's were mysteriously missing from the drawers of clothes. Naruto let out a short gasp of surprise when Sasuke explained Kyoko's show of Kyuubi's power. Sasuke stopped telling his story, letting Naruto voice his opposition.
"Sasuke, are you sure it was Kyuubi's chakra?" Naruto asked. His tone was worried, concerned. They moved to their couch, Naruto leaning against the armrest, Sasuke sitting next to him.
"I can show you." Sasuke activated his eyes, the Sharingan wheels standing still, waiting for the blonde to choose. Naruto's mind was racing, the thought of someone else holding the power of Kyuubi had been unthinkable and yet there had been another person out there dealing with the fox the same as he. Looking up, Naruto immediately shook his head.
"If you say you saw Kyuubi's chakra then you must have." Naruto watched as Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and leaned onto Naruto's shoulder. "Why did she show up now though?" The blonde asked. He wrapped his arm around Sasuke's shoulder and felt Sasuke shift closer.
"She felt Kyuubi want to come back, he wouldn't let up until she did." Sasuke slipped his fingers into Naruto's hand and admired his calloused digits.
"Kyuubi did that? That doesn't seem like the fox." Naruto muttered. Sasuke could hear the frown on the blondes' lips.
"That's what I thought, turns out the girls seal is weak, it's poor, rushed work. If she hadn't been careful, Kyuubi would have killed her, broken free and terrorized the village." Sasuke responded. "She's smart, for her age." Sasuke's free hand drifted to his stomach, rubbing more circles across it. "Sort of."
"Is that a compliment to a near stranger coming out of your mouth?" Naruto smiled teasingly. He moved from leaning on the armrest to rest against Sasuke shoulder, shoving his tan face in the Uchiha's personal space. Sasuke watched the blonde from where he sat prone, trying to hold back a smile.
"Anko almost made her pee in her pants." Sasuke retorted. Naruto's grin turned from teasing to mischievous. "She has no social abilities and is a coward." The blonde's grin did not fade.
"So you didn't make her piss in her pants either?" Naruto nuzzled Sasuke's cheek with his own, fingers sneaking their way down the Uchiha's chest to his abdomen. Sasuke felt his lip muscles twitch upwards at the blonde's question and Naruto turned his head to kiss the Uchiha on the cheek.
"I promised her that I would strengthen the seal. Obviously if I don't, she'll die, you might die, the baby would be endanger and the whole village would be under attack by a supposedly sealed away demon fox." Naruto seemed to mull this information over, his lips brushing Sasuke's skin gently.
"I understand that her seal needs to be strengthened but why doesn't she tell Obaa-san and let her help fix it?" Naruto lifted his free hand and ran it through Sasuke's hair.
"I told her not to, I won't let anyone cause any reason for more attention to be brought to us." Sasuke leaned his head towards Naruto's fingers, hand covering Naruto's over his stomach.
"And you won't risk the pregnancy being found out." Naruto finished. Smiling softly, Naruto kissed Sasuke on the head. "You're such a bastard, helping people out only to get what you want." Naruto joked.
"Helping people out is a coincidence, Dobe, the only reason I'd save Kyoko's and the villagers lives is if it meant saving yours." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as if none of it really meant anything to him. Naruto couldn't help but laugh at what the Uchiha said. He tilted his head back and laughed, chest rising and falling quickly, bouncing Sasuke along with his laughter. Sasuke frowned at the constant movement, moved to jab his free hand into the blonde's side. Finding Sasuke's jab to be painful, he almost stopped laughing. He grabbed Sasuke's moving arm and pulled the Uchiha into a kiss. Their lips moved against each other's as both pairs of eyes closed but neither attempted to deepen the kiss. Sasuke broke away first, moving to sit up on the couch and made Naruto reposition himself on the couch.
"Dobe." Sasuke muttered, a blush on his cheeks.
"So earlier you said that you might know why I got so angry, wanna spill?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.
"When you came home earlier, you smelled Kyoko on me and got angry." Sasuke started, he turned to watch the blonde's expression. "When you stepped into the shower, there was a ring of red in your eyes."
"Kyuubi's chakra." Naruto frowned and leaned forward himself.
"The first time I saw it was when we were in the compound together. I didn't know what to think of it, then I met Kyoko during the exam and then it happened again in the shower." Sasuke muttered.
"So what am I supposed to do, I can't let Kyuubi's chakra slip out when I get a little mad." Naruto frowned and sighed, running his hands through his hair.
"Just be more aware of yourself when you get angry, and Kyuubi's chakra." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. Naruto huffed and wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, leaning his head against Sasuke's.
"Easier said than done, Teme." Naruto felt Sasuke shrug his shoulders again and moved to stand up, making the blonde straighten so as not to fall over.
"I'll need you to borrow some scrolls from the library about strengthening pre-existing seals," Sasuke spoke louder as he got off the couch. "You can go do that while I start the laundry." Naruto watched with a grin on his face as the Uchiha looked around.
"I think there'll be too much to do to make dinner Teme," Naruto stood up and casually stretched, trying to make his grin disappear. "Want to go me at Ichiraku's for dinner?" Sasuke glanced at the blond sharply, quickly weighing the pros and cons of going to Naruto's favorite restaurant.
"The only way we're going to Ichiraku's tonight is if you tell me exactly where all my underwear are, Dobe." Sasuke smirked when Naruto's expression went from trying to hide his smirk to one of great distress.
"But, Sasuke-" Naruto attempted to begin to persuade the Uchiha but Sasuke shook his head, his mind already made up.
"Or you can eat whatever you make for yourself and I go to bed after the laundry is done." Sasuke turned and walked away from the blonde, heading to strip the bed of its blanket and sheets.
"All your underwear is in a trash bag under the kitchen sink!" Naruto cried out, watching Sasuke glance over his shoulder with a smirk on his face.
"Go get the scrolls and I'll meet you at Ichiraku's in half an hour okay?" Sasuke asked. Naruto crossed his arms, sulking that he had given up his hiding spot of Sasuke's boxers for only a single dinner at Ichiraku's but nodded all the same.
July 2nd, the eighth week
Sasuke's mind jolted out of his REM sleep. He felt queasy, like he was going to be sick. Opening his eyes, the Uchiha knew he had a limited amount of time before the inevitable happened. Quickly disentangling himself from the clean sheets of the bed and Naruto's embrace, Sasuke scrambled over the blonde, heading straight for the bathroom. Stirring, Naruto reached out for his lover but found only a warm spot in the sheets where Sasuke had just been. Cracking his eyes open, Naruto confirmed that the Uchiha was not in bed. It was just as he was about to fall back asleep did he hear retching sounds coming from their bathroom.
Growing more alert, Naruto blinked and rolled over, unsure if he was really hearing someone throw up in the bathroom. The puking continued and Naruto's foggy brain reached out for any information as to why Sasuke would be throwing up. Sasuke was pregnant, a symptom of pregnancy was morning sickness and therefore Sasuke was going through morning sickness. Satisfied with the conclusion he came up with, Naruto sat up and yawned.
Getting off the bed, the blonde stretched and headed for the bathroom. He wanted to make sure Sasuke was okay. Sasuke was kneeling over the toilet, hands gripping the edge of the porcelain bowl like a lifeline when the blonde found him. Kneeling down next to the Uchiha, Naruto pulled back the other man's bangs and waited for the heaving to subside. Sasuke felt the blonde's warm fingers against his chilled skin and mentally thanked the idiot for the gesture as his stomach rebelled against his will.
"Fuck." Sasuke growled after another wave of nausea hit him. "I hate this." Naruto sighed and used his free hand to pat Sasuke's back gently. The Uchiha was going to say more but his throat was filled with bile and what was left of his digested dinner.
"There, there, it's almost over." Naruto murmured soothingly. He watched as Sasuke shuddered and sat back, his grip on the toilet bowl relaxed; puke dribbling down his chin as he took a deep breath of fresh air.
"This is just the beginning, Dobe." Sasuke grunted while wiping away the crap from his chin onto his arm. "It won't be the last time I'll be running to the bathroom in the morning." Sasuke flushed the toilet and stood up, watching Naruto stand up with him.
"Relax, Sasuke," Naruto watched as the Uchiha moved to the sink to wash the puke from his hand. "You don't need to get so worked up about puking." Trying to find a way to comfort his lover, Naruto hugged Sasuke from behind and rest his chin on his shoulder.
"It's just a really bad way to wake up in the morning." Sasuke shut off the water and reached for a towel to dry off his hands. "And it's going to be happening a lot." The Uchiha looked up into the mirror to see Naruto watching him with apologetic blue eyes.
"Anything I can do to help?" The blonde asked. Sasuke shook his head and shifted, Naruto released him and followed the dark haired male out of the bathroom.
"So are you still thinking about moving into the compound?" Naruto sat down next to the Uchiha on the bed, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's shoulders comfortingly. Sasuke was quiet for a moment, focusing on letting his stomach settle instead of answering the blondes' question.
"I'll need a quiet place to work on Kyoko's seal, far away from where people can walk in. The compound offers that." Sasuke looked down at his hands disinterestedly before looking up into Naruto's bright blue eyes. "If we live in my grandparents house, I think I could handle it." Naruto grinned. He leaned forward, kissed Sasuke on the cheek before Sasuke pushed him off and wiped his cheek with the back of his hand.
"That's great, when do you want to start moving in?" Naruto asked. He smiled happily and wrapped arms around Sasuke's shoulders, planting a big wet sloppy kiss on the Uchiha's temple.
"Stop that, Dobe!" Sasuke growled in slight annoyance. He wrestled with Naruto, attempting to free himself from the onslaught of affection. Naruto released Sasuke after a light scuffle, watching Sasuke get up while the blonde still lay on the bed, content to relax there.
"I'm going to talk to the manager about our lease today, then go see about making arrangements for living in the compound." Sasuke muttered. He wiped away the slobber off of his face and gave a pointed stare to the idiot.
"Arrangements?" Naruto asked. He tilted his head, ignoring the stare as he innocently looked up at the Uchiha. Sighing, Sasuke rolled his eyes. He opened a cabinet door and pulled out an unmarked bottle. He opened it, popped a pill, replaced the cap and set the bottle back in its place.
"Getting electricity back into the compound, make sure all the pipes aren't rusted for water to run through them." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Those kind of arrangements." Naruto sighed and looked up to the ceiling.
"I feel bad, going out on a mission and leaving you here to deal with it all." The blonde muttered. He glanced back up at Sasuke who was yet again, rolling his eyes at Naruto.
"And if you quit taking missions we would run out of money and get kicked out of our apartment before we can really move into the compound." Sasuke rebutted. Naruto sat up and stretched, making a slightly annoyed expression.
"Teme, stop being right all the time." Naruto whined. Sasuke rolled his eyes and motioned his hand at the blonde, waving him off. The Uchiha moved towards the kitchen and felt the blonde follow him.
"Someone's got to be right Dobe and you're too stupid for the job." Sasuke opened a few cabinets, searched through the refrigerator and slammed the door shut angrily. "What do you want to eat?" Sasuke asked. Naruto frowned and walked into the kitchen, leaning against the back of the chair. He knew Sasuke didn't really mean it when he called him stupid, the Teme was just in a bad mood.
"Whatever you want, Sasuke or are you not hungry?" The blonde asked. Sasuke shook his head and moved to look through the cabinets a second time. "You should really eat breakfast, you did throw up five minutes ago." Naruto watched with concern as Sasuke bustled about.
"I know but I'm not hungry. Just pick something to eat and I'll eat some too." Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, waiting for him to respond. At first Naruto thought seriously about it and then he had an idea. With a grin spreading on his face, Naruto walked up next to the Uchiha and opened a cabinet door.
"I don't know, how about," Naruto paused and shut the cabinet door before smiling at his lover. "Ramen?" Sasuke blinked, the question taking longer than normal for it to sink in. Sasuke's seemingly calm expression soured and the Uchiha slammed a cabinet door shut.
"No, that stuff is going to make me puke." Sasuke turned away angrily and looked back into the refrigerator. "I'm making you toast." Naruto wasn't fazed by Sasuke's rejection; it definitely wasn't the first time it had happened. The blonde sat back down at the kitchen table, grinning as his lover got bread ready to be toasted. Sasuke seemed to calm down; his anger fading as quickly as it had arose. Naruto watched as Sasuke put bread into the toaster and pressed the toast button, he turned around and leaned against the counter, looking right back at the blonde.
"What?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, not breaking eye contact.
"How far along are you again?" Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes, the toast popped out and Sasuke turned around, rubbing a hand over his stomach.
"This is about the end of the seventh week, start of the eighth." Sasuke muttered as he pulled toast from the toaster, buttering them with ease. Naruto nodded, knowing Sasuke wasn't looking at him. "Why?" Sasuke turned around and set two small plates on the table before moving back to the refrigerator to get drinks.
"I'm wondering when you're going to start showing, I'm trying to imagine it." Naruto tilted his head as he stared at the Uchiha's backside, still trying to see it.
"Hn." Sasuke responded. He pulled out a milk carton, grabbed two cups and filled them with milk. "You're a pervert, Dobe." The Uchiha looked back with a grin as he put the milk away and set both glasses on the table. Naruto straightened and leaned over the table indignantly.
"I am not!" Naruto cried out. Sasuke gave him a look of disbelief as he picked up a piece of toast and bit off an edge. "I'm just trying to imagine my lover's body when he's as a big as a whale." Sasuke swallowed and shook his head, Naruto watching him with a lopsided grin as he stuffed half a piece of toast into his mouth.
"You're going to regret saying that, Usuratonkachi." Sasuke muttered. He frowned and took another small bite out of his toast as he watched the blonde inhale the rest of his toast.
"What? No sex?" Naruto's voice was muffled as he swallowed toast, then grabbed a glass of milk and started to chug it. Sasuke scrunched his nose for a brief second before raising an eyebrow as an idea came to him.
"No, when I'm craving something in the middle of the night I'm going make you go get it for me. And if you don't I'll make you sleep on the couch." Sasuke smirked when Naruto choked on his milk and coughed it up obnoxiously.
Sasuke took a third bite of his toast and watched the blonde panic. "You wouldn't kick me out of bed!" Naruto cried out. The blonde gave Sasuke a wide eyes look of desperation but Sasuke just smirked.
"Hn, Dobe. You'll just have to go get me whatever I'm craving." Sasuke watched as Naruto pushed his toast away and set his head on the table. The blonde groaned in defeat. "Finish your toast, if I have to eat then you have to too." The Uchiha took a bigger bite of toast, munching softly.
Lifting his head up and resting his chin on the table, Naruto softly glared at his lover, knowing it would have no effect. "Why are you so mean to me?" Naruto asked.
"Because I love you." Sasuke's response was immediate. Naruto didn't react at first, still staring at Sasuke as the Uchiha met the blonde's bright blue eyes. Smashing his face against the table again, Naruto let out a groan.
"You are so unfair, asshole." Naruto glumly sat back up and finished the last bit of his toast with one bite. Sasuke picked up his milk and took a sip of it, unaffected. "But when are you going to start showing, do you know?"
"Next few weeks I guess," Sasuke dropped his toast and leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to feel it before we see it though." Naruto nodded, looking down at the table before smiling and looking back at Sasuke. Rising from his seat, Naruto moved around the table, leaning against it as he picked up Sasuke's toast. Sasuke watched the blonde move closer and hold up the toast for him, watching with a blank face.
"Open wide, Sasuke." Naruto sang, moving the toast closer and closer to the Uchiha's mouth. Sasuke looked down at the toast and then back up at the blonde.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked. Naruto continued to grin and raised his free hand to lift Sasuke's chin upwards.
"I finished my breakfast, now you have to too. Say 'ah'." Naruto leaned in even closer, still smiling. Sasuke had two choices, he could see if he could push the blonde to stop or accept the offered toast.
"What do you think I am? A baby?" Sasuke asked incredulously. He looked back down at the toast Naruto was offering him.
"No, but I want to practice for when we actually have a baby, so open up." Naruto wouldn't give in. "Besides, someone needs to relax and not be so grouchy." Sasuke sighed and gave in, opening his mouth just enough for the blonde to slip a part of the toast inside his mouth. Biting down on the toasted bread, Sasuke took it and chewed, glancing up at Naruto with an indignant expression. "See? That wasn't so bad." Naruto grinned and set down the toast, wiping his hands together to rid himself of the crumbs. Sasuke chewed and swallowed, his expression turning deviant.
"Pervert." Sasuke said. He picked up his milk again and took another drink, Naruto's jaw dropped and he started sputtering in his response.
"No! Sasuke!" Naruto cried out. Sasuke ignored him and picked up the toast and ate a bite of it by himself. The blonde made a concerned face and thought about his course of action momentarily. Realizing what he wanted to do, Naruto stood up, brushed the seat of his pants off and promptly sat himself down on Sasuke's lap. Surprised, Sasuke sat there, the toast between his teeth, eyes wide as he blinked, once, then twice.
"Well, if I'm such a pervert then you must be too, it's your turn to feed me." The blonde gazed lustily down at his lover and leaned forward. He wrapped his lips around a small area of the toast sticking out of Sasuke's mouth and took a bite, ripping the toast in half as Sasuke watched. Grinning happily, Naruto chewed the toast, wrapping his arms around his lovers shoulder. Sasuke chewed his own toast, furrowing his eyebrows together as he wanted to say something but couldn't with his mouth full. As soon as Sasuke swallowed, the next thing he did was respond to the blonde's actions.
"Pervert." Sasuke said as soon as he swallowed. Naruto pulled back, frowning at the Uchiha.
"Damn it, Teme!" Naruto whined. Sasuke smirked up at his lover, enjoying their banter. "I can never win with you." The blonde pouted.
"Of course, someone's got to keep your ego in check." Sasuke raised his eyebrows, daring the blonde to contradict him. "Now, get ready for your mission, I'll take care of everything here until you get back." Jerking his head towards the dresser, Sasuke took a sip of milk.
"I'll only be gone a day, two at most." Naruto got off the table and gripped the hem of his shirt before pulling it over his head. Sasuke finished the milk and set the empty glass down, watching his lover undress. "They might have me do a few more overnighters this week too, Tsunade didn't say but Kakashi mentioned it."
"More than enough time to start packing." Sasuke answered. "I do the packing you do the moving." He watched Naruto turn around, wiggle his eyebrows suggestively and drop his boxers.
"Deal." Naruto turned around and went to the dresser, showing his buttocks to the Uchiha. Smirking, Sasuke got up and took the plates and cups to the sink to wash them.
"Naruto," Sasuke called out softly. Said blonde looked back to the Uchiha, blinking curiously. "Thank you." Naruto smiled just as Sasuke looked over to the blonde, felt his face heat up and looked away. Naruto could see Sasuke's ear flush bright red, creeping down to his neck. Silence fell upon them easily; they were comfortable in it and didn't need to speak as they prepared for the day. Naruto dressed and Sasuke cleaned the dishes, setting them in the dishwasher for later. By the time Sasuke joined Naruto, the blondes' boxers in his hands, Naruto was zipping up his chuunin vest.
"Don't fight too much with our landlord, okay?" Sasuke smirked at the blonde's plea as he pulled on his pants.
"I'll give him as much trouble as he gives me." Sasuke looked up to see his blonde silently chuckling as he tightened his headband on. The landlord hadn't cared two shits about Naruto and Sasuke and the Uchiha didn't like being ignored when the ceiling leaked on a rainy days or when the electricity went out for days at a time.
"I'll be back soon, 'kay, Teme?" Naruto leaned over, tilting his head to kiss Sasuke on the cheek. Sasuke had other plans though; he turned his head just in time for their lips to press against each other.
Surprised, Naruto's eyes widened and Sasuke wrapped his arms around the blonde's shoulders, pulling their bodies close. Moving his lips against Naruto's, Sasuke ran his hand through the blonde hair and felt Naruto wrapped his arms around the Uchiha's waist. Making a small noise in the back of his throat, Sasuke felt Naruto take control of the kiss. Naruto gently bit down on Sasuke's lower lip before pressing his lips against Sasuke's softly.
"Don't do anything stupid." Sasuke whispered. Both their eyes opened and they stared at each other for a few seconds before Naruto smiled and Sasuke blushed, looking away.
"Of course not! What do you think I am, an idiot?" Naruto grinned when Sasuke shoved the blonde away to grab his shirt. Laughing, Naruto waited for Sasuke to pull the shirt over his head, the Uchiha's arms stuck inside the shirt before planting a sloppy wet kiss on his lover's forehead. With a cry of indignation, Sasuke jerked away from the blonde, falling onto the bed as Naruto dashed to the front door.
"Dobe!" Sasuke cried out from the bed.
"Bye, Sasuke! I'll see you later!" Naruto called out. He opened the door and ran through it, slamming the door behind him. Sasuke grunted angrily, a little frustrated at the blondes' escape. Pulling on his shirt, Sasuke got back onto his two feel and looked around the small apartment. A lot needed to get done. Sasuke knocked for a third time on the landlord's door. He knew the guy was in there; he was just taking his sweet ass time. When the beer-bellied man opened the door, he gave Sasuke a look and then stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
"I'm assuming this is official business?" Sasuke nodded and the man stepped past the Uchiha, walking into the small office. A door was closed on the other side of the room that most likely led to the landlords own apartment. "You aren't complaining about neighbors are you? I get enough of that from your neighbors." He turned around, giving Sasuke a questioning look.
"No, I'm not making a complaint." Sasuke shook his and watched as the older man turned back around, fishing for the keys in his pocket.
"Good, good." The landlord motioned for the Uchiha to take a seat as he did so himself.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Uchiha?" The landlord rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at his desk, shuffling papers around.
"I'm here about Naruto's lease and my sublease." Sasuke started. The landlord sighed deeply, his eyes widening as he realized what the Uchiha wanted. "We want to end it three months early." Sasuke watched as the landlord stood straighter in his seat, opening a drawer where he pulled out a folder.
"Three months early, yes, you're very good at keeping track of things." The man mumbled as he opened the file and looked through it. "Mr. Uzumaki has had an apartment here for…"
"Twelve years, almost thirteen now." Sasuke finished. The man was starting to get on his nerves and he didn't even know his name. The man ran his hand through his unkempt hair and yawned.
"Since he was six yes." The landlord closed the file and rested his head on his hand, looking at the Uchiha tiredly. "If it's not top secret, may I ask where you two will be moving to?" Sasuke studied the man for a moment.
"The Uchiha compound." He said finally. The landlord's reaction took a moment and then relief finally crossed his face. Sasuke found it surprising that a man who hardly ever talked to Naruto would be worried about where he was moving too rather than being happy that Kyuubi's container was finally moving out of his apartment complex.
"Good, I won't get any more complaints of you two being loud in the middle of the night." The man attempted to hide his relief with sarcasm, though he probably knew Sasuke could see right through it.
"I want to know what you expect from us, for the lease." Sasuke crossed his arms, waiting to see what the man would do. The landlord opened the file again, running his hand through his mess of hair again.
"Hmm, well I do believe that since Naruto has been my tenant for so long three months won't really matter. If you give me the date that you'll be completely moved out of the apartment everything will be squared away and Mr. Uzumaki can have his safety deposit back within a week." The landlord looked up with a smile, happy with his own choice on the situation. Sasuke was perplexed for a moment. The man was actually being nice to him and Naruto; it was a rare thing to happen. It took him a second to realize it was actually occurring. The landlord was letting them break their lease without paying an extra fine; they didn't even have to pay for the three months left on the lease.
"Is that everything we need to discuss?" The landlord asked. He closed the file again and replaced it in the desk drawer, still smiling. "Cause I'd like to get a shower before I start the rest of my day." Shaking his head, Sasuke rose from the seat and held out his hand. This time it was the landlord to be surprised, his smile disappearing as he instinctively took Sasuke's hand, shaking it weakly, confusedly.
"Thank you," Sasuke curtly muttered before pulling his hand out of the handshake. He briskly walked to the door, opened it and closed it behind him. He hated thanking people and actually felt a little bad about not knowing the man's name.
It wasn't noon yet and Sasuke was itching to get to a training field. He still needed to talk to the electric company about getting electricity back into the compound and he had to check the pipes of his grandparent's house before he could turn the water on. He would have to first go to the Hokage tower, ask for the paperwork to get the electricity back up and then go to the Uchiha compound to check the pipes. Maybe he would be able to look through his grandparents' things, move them to another house before Naruto got a hold of them and tried to do something stupid.
It was a lot to do and without Naruto, it was going to be a lot harder than he admit it would be. As he got further into the pregnancy, Sasuke could feel himself getting, not tired, fatigued maybe. He knew it was a symptom of pregnancy, knew it would happen but actually feeling it was a whole other story. Upon reaching the tower, Sasuke went the opposite direction than where he usually went. Going up the tower to the Hokage's office was where ninja went to receive and report missions. Going down the tower, that was where the people who kept the village running, working. Taking his time, Sasuke walked down the stairs until reached the floor that supposedly dealt with electricity.
The room he walked into had no door or windows, the fluorescent lights making the place seem dark. A few desks were spread across the room, a fake plant in one of the corners. Two of the people behind the desks had their feet on top of the desks, one balancing a pencil between his nose and lips, the other snoring softly. A third person, an older woman was deftly writing away on a scroll. She seemed to notice his presence and stopped what she was doing to look up. She set down her brush quietly and nodded to him.
"Can I help you with anything?" She called out softly. Sasuke came closer, scrutinizing her. Graying hair tied in a bun, old, traditional clothes and a neat hand with a brush. Sasuke nodded and walked towards her, the male that was awake glanced over at him but kept the pencil balanced on his face.
"I'm looking to turn the electricity back on in the Uchiha compound." Sasuke muttered. He got straight to the point and noticed the older woman give a look of recognition as he came closer.
"Oh, yes! I was wondering when you would walk into our office." The lady smiled kindly at him. "I've already had my associates here," She glanced over to the two others in the room. "Go and attempt to see what they could do but it seems like the whole compound is wired. It would take more effort to rewire the whole compound than to just turn the electricity on."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't expected them to have already figured it out. "I see," Looking over at the two, older than him but younger than the lady he was talking to, Sasuke watched as the man that was awake let the pencil slip from it's resting place. The man scrambled to pick it back up, becoming flustered.
"We can have it turned on by this afternoon if you would like, or anytime that would work for you. We're very flexible here." The woman continued. "Though you'll have to flip the switch in the houses you plan on using, from what the records show all the switches were turned off before the compound was sealed which will minimize your electricity bill."
"What about the paperwork?" Sasuke asked. He blinked, curious as why this day was becoming easier and easier as the minutes passed by.
"Well, the Hokage thought you would want to move back into the compound at some point. She had everything taken care of weeks ago." Sasuke's eyebrows rose in shock. This was not something he had seen the Hokage doing.
"Oh," Sasuke lacked a better answer. The woman in front of him smiled kindly and folded her hands on the desk.
"Surprised? She said you might be. Any time you'd like for us to turn the electricity back on we'd be more than glad to. Did you have a specific date in mind?" She kept smiling, waiting for Sasuke to give her a date. Quickly recovering, Sasuke thought of when he and Naruto would need electricity in the compound.
"In a week, if you have time." Sasuke watched as the woman's smile widened. He heard the male that wasn't asleep chuckle quietly.
"We have more than enough time, we can do it at a specific time if you really needed it." The man laughed. Sasuke nodded and turned back to the woman.
"Anytime that day would be great. Thank you all for the help." Sasuke nodded to the woman, nearly bowing as she smiled and nodded back. She picked up her brush and started to write again and Sasuke nodded to the adult who was trying to rebalance the pencil on his nose while looking at him before walking out.
Sasuke had planned to go to the compound next, hide anything the blonde might get into but now he needed to visit the Hokage. Making his way back to the ground level of the tower, he took the steps that led to the higher levels. On his way up, he passed Shizune and TonTon. The Hokage's right hand woman nodded to him kindly, hands full with a stack of scrolls and documents. TonTon oinked his approval of his presence as he followed Shizune down the stairs carefully. As Sasuke passed he heard the pig stop and sniff the air before chasing after Shizune, oinking confusedly. Without looking back, Sasuke tensed. He heard Shizune stop at the bottom of the staircase and turned to look down at her animal friend.
"What is it, TonTon?" She asked. TonTon oinked excitedly as Sasuke reached the top of the stairs and turned to walk down the hallway, giving the two a quick glance. "TonTon, its just Sasuke. What are you so hyped up about?" She asked. TonTon oinked one more time dejectedly before looking back up at Sasuke as he disappeared from view. "You're such a silly pig, why don't I get you a treat after I get these put away." Sasuke could hear Shizune's voice and he let out a small sigh of relief. He had forgotten that pigs had an enhanced sense of smell, he didn't know if he smelled pregnant but obviously TonTon had picked up on it. The pig would ruin everything if he didn't take more care. Luckily, Shizune didn't think anything of TonTon's attempt to call attention to him and he wasn't going to let the pig have the chance again.
Upon reaching the Hokage's office, he knocked on the door and waited for the Hokage to allow him inside. Instead of Tsunade's voice commanding to come in, the door opened and the familiar faces of team eight. They filed out the door, each, save Shino, giving him a smile. He watched as Kiba walked past, giving him a wide grin. Nodding back to the Inuzuka, Sasuke was sure to wait until they all had passed, he didn't want his scent to waft past Kiba's nose and have him getting curious too. Once the three were out the door, Sasuke himself walked inside.
The Hokage was reclining in her chair, scowling at a pile of paperwork that lay on her desk. She looked up to see Sasuke standing in front of the door as it closed. "What do you want now, Uchiha?" She asked.
"I went and talked to Naruto's landlord today, the people who keep electricity running through the village as well." Sasuke stepped forward in front of the Hokage's desk and crossed his arms over his chest. Giving the Hokage a blank stare, Sasuke watched as the older woman sat up straight and sighed heavily.
"Don't be such a brat, Uchiha, I made your life a little easier so the least you could do is thank me." She raised her eyebrows. For the third time that day, in less than four ours, Sasuke uttered the words he had not uttered to anyone but Naruto to for years.
"Thank you." Sasuke looked away, disgruntled. "But I'd appreciate it more if you'd stop getting into our business." He heard Tsunade chuckle, looked back up but her face was set in a grim, almost bored expression.
"You know I can't do that," She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back into her chair, seemingly much happier than before Sasuke had walked into her office. "I have the obligation to make sure a newly reinstated ninja doesn't bother the civilians any more than you and the brat already have been doing." By now, Tsunade was full out smirking and all Sasuke could do was look away from the Hokage, annoyed.
"If that's all you came in here to say then by all means you are free to leave at any time." Tsunade smirked as Sasuke immediately turned and high tailed it out of the office, arms still crossed.
He was grateful the woman had gone and done all the hard work for him but he didn't like the fact that the whole time he had been worried she had found out about the baby. For a moment she had really scared him, he had almost thought that she had found out, figured out in some way that he was pregnant. He didn't want her to know, didn't want her to try to dictate how or if he was going to have this baby and relief washed over him quicker than he could get out of the room. It didn't take long for Sasuke to get out of the tower, he was starting to feel stressed but before he could go train he needed to visit his grandparents' house.
He had been standing in front of his grandparents' house for maybe five minutes. Sasuke was completely alone, not another soul was inside the compound and he felt it. Complete silence, there were no birds chirping or echoes of kids playing. Nothing. It felt like ghosts were surrounding him, he could remember seeing his grandparents standing together in front of the door, smiling at him. Being back at the compound reminded him of his family, brought back memories he had thought he had forgotten. Memories he wanted to forget.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke walked down the path, up the steps and opened the door. He and Naruto hadn't locked it upon leaving the last time. The barrier of the whole compound was enough protection for the house. Walking inside, he looked around the dark, empty house. Sunlight poured in from the open doorway, dust particles floating in the air. He looked around the house, debating about what he would do first.
Deciding to make the house seem at least a little brighter, Sasuke moved to the closest window and pulled the curtains apart, sunlight pouring in. Going a step further, Sasuke opened the window. It was the beginning of July; the weather was perfect, if not a little hot. Warmth tickled his skin and Sasuke smiled softly. Naruto was like the sun, it made him feel a little less alone now that the sun was brightening up the empty house. Sasuke spent the next few minutes moving from one room to the next, pulling apart curtains and opening the windows.
One he was sure he had gotten all of the windows; he went back to the first room and pulled the two sheets off of the first piece of furniture. Dust spread rapidly, making Sasuke's nose itch and eyes water. Dropping the sheets onto the floor and folding them over once, Sasuke went to the next piece of furniture. He did the same to all of the furniture in the room. With all of the sheets in a semi-neat pile, he picked them up and walked outside with them.
The air was hot, noon had come and gone, the sun shining down on him from a position of about one or one-thirty. Taking the pile of sheets, Sasuke dumped them on the path just outside the door of the house. Dusting his hands off, Sasuke went back into the house and went to the next room. He did this process again and again until he had gotten the very last sheet out of the house. Everything was dusty, he would have to sweep before Naruto came back.
Looking around, Sasuke went to his grandparents' bedroom, it was the most likely place he would find things that needed to be taken out of the house before he and Naruto moved into it. The drawers of the dressers held clothes and Sasuke tentatively looked through them. It still felt a little strange that he was looking through his grandparent's things and once he was finished with the dressers he went looking through desks, finding nothing but papers, unsent letters and pens.
Shutting the last drawer of the desk with a loud slam. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. There wasn't anything really there for him to move out of the house before Naruto started to make a mess of everything. Going to the hallway closet, Sasuke pulled out a broom and dustpan and started to sweep up the mounds of dust that had accumulated over the years. He would check the pipes afterwards.