Chapter 154 - Petit Fours
The subject of Sasuke staying with the family for another night was brought up before dinner, once Hajime and his family had returned from visiting with the Hyuuga. Ino acted as ambassador in the kitchen, as they were preparing things, gently shooing Sasuke into the laundry room on a false errand, so the pressure of his presence wouldn't affect things.
"Now, everyone, I know that your father agreed to stay only one night, but I was wondering if you would be okay with him staying until tomorrow morning," she said. "Of course, if any of you are uncomfortable with the idea, then he'll be heading back home after dinner."
"I don't mind at all," Nadeshiko said, immediately cracking the silence.
"Yeah, I'd be fine with it," Karai added, nodding, not wanting to be the only speaker.
"Consider my permission given," Takeru said. "I have nothing against him being here."
"Hajime, what do you think?" Ninako said, when the silence continued.
"...well, I'd like to talk to him after dinner, so I suppose he can stay for that," Hajime replied.
This left only Inou, who fussed against the expectant quiet, crossing his arms. "Well, I guess he can stay, if all of you want it," he said. "I don't really care, really."
"I'll let him know when he gets back, then," Ino said, filled with more relief than anticipation.
Sasuke reacted with low energy. "Looks like I'm staying another night, then," he said, and immediately continued on to, "How can I help with the dinner?"
They enjoyed a pleasant meal after that, with easy conversation and even some laughter.
But Hajime had to make good on his promise to talk to Sasuke, and he brought it up as they were enjoying after-dinner tea together in the kitchen. "Father, can we talk?"
"Of course," Sasuke said, sounding remarkably calm. "We can talk in the living room."
"No, I… want to talk to you here. No secrets," Hajime said.
"...all right, that's fine," Sasuke replied. "What do you want to talk to me about?"
(The rest of the table held its breath.)
(And Hajime, like so many other times in his life, found himself faltering when he wanted to say something important or meaningful.)
"...Kumori," he finally managed.
"Is this about Kumori?" Sasuke said.
"Yes. You… know he's blind, right?"
"...I'm well aware, Hajime," Sasuke said. "And… I do hope you know that I don't find that an issue. I've known a great many ninja who've had long and successful careers without any sense of sight."
"...ninja," Hajime said. "Well, that's, uh, another thing. What if Kumori doesn't want to become a ninja?"
"Then that's his choice, I suppose," Sasuke replied, shrugging, very little weight in his voice. "Though, that's just my opinion. He's your son, and how you raise him is your business. Not mine."
"You don't… have any expectations of him?" Hajime felt like his throat was lined with cellophane, stiff and unsure.
"I expect him to be happy, but that's something I can't exactly enforce," Sasuke said.
"Even as… an Uchiha? You know, as your… grandchild?" Hajime exhaled, full of frustration. "I mean, like, the expectations that you held for us. For him?"
"...the expectations that I had for my own children don't apply to him, I think," Sasuke said. "He isn't my son, after all. He's out of my hands."
"Then I… hope you're telling the truth," Hajime said. He cleared his throat. "That's… about all I wanted to say to you, I guess."
Sasuke nodded a few times. "Thank you for telling me. I promise to continue trusting your judgment," he said. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing an excellent job so far."
"Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks that!" Ninako said, when Hajime didn't (or couldn't) reply.
"Well, since I had my turn yesterday, does anyone else have anything to air with Father?" Takeru said, his eyebrows raised.
"...yeah, I wanna talk," Inou said, shifting himself in his chair to look more devil-may-care. "I mean, it's not like I care about what you think, 'cos I don't, but."
"I'd be glad to listen to you," Sasuke said, and for a moment he sounded oddly like Nadeshiko, his voice detached and monotone.
Inou's glance was sharp and unforgiving. "Okay, so. I am really, really not cool with you being back here like there's nothing wrong. I mean, I'm not the only one who feels this, right?"
Before Sasuke could even begin to reply, Takeru sighed, deeply. "I think that everyone here is well aware of that, little brother. And it's in rather bad taste for you to bring it up, I think."
"Bad taste?" Inou said.
"The whole purpose of this visit was for Father to prove he was interested in moving forward if we were," Takeru said. "He's shown enough of an effort to convince me, and I'm inclined to believe I'm not alone in this opinion." He looked around at them like a tired dog. "Well, aren't I? If you're going to say something, make it about the present, little brother, or we'll be here for hours."
"...I'd hate to say it, but I actually agree with Takeru," Hajime said, though he was looking out the window. "I guess there's only so many times someone can say sorry before it stops losing its meaning."
"How wise of you, brother," Takeru said, in a tone that wasn't clearly sarcasm or sincerity.
"Hajime, Takeru, I don't mind if Inou wants to bring up something from a while back," Sasuke said.
Inou, however, held his breath for a moment, before groaning, tossing his head back. "Ugh! Fine! It's not like I care anyways. I just wanna clear some things up, okay?"
"Okay," Sasuke said.
"So, like, my life right now? I'm doing stuff that I know you wouldn't approve of before. And I don't care if you approve or not. Because I'm living my life the way I want, and I'm happy."
"I'm glad you're happy," Sasuke said.
"Yeah? Good," Inou said. He crossed a leg over his knee. "Because if you bring up… like, Uchiha pride or whatever or try to convince me to change? I'm not gonna listen."
"Makes sense," Sasuke said, though something like a laugh chuffed out of his mouth after he spoke.
"What, you think this is funny?" Inou said.
"No, not funny, just…" Sasuke shook his head. "Your mother's been talking to me about you a lot, recently. It's just unusual for me to hear it directly from you for once."
"Really, huh," Inou said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What sorta stuff, Mom?"
"Oh, just, your job, things like that…" Ino said. "And your, um... preparations for becoming Yamanaka head..." she added, almost mumbling.
"You told him that?"
Sasuke nodded, confirming this. "Yes. I don't know how much of a difference it would make for me to say this, but I am proud of you for going your own way, like this," he continued. He smiled a little. "And I do support you, no matter how different you end up. I actually look forward to seeing where you go."
As hard as Inou tried to suppress it, his voice grew soft. "You… really mean that?"
"Of course I do, I'm your father," Sasuke replied. "I'm supposed to be right behind you, no matter what."
"So… you'd be okay with me moving into the Yamanaka compound when I come of age?"
"Okay with it?" Sasuke said. "I think that's a great idea. Your mother's been very excited for you to start taking on your responsibilities as Yamanaka heir. I'm certainly proud to have two clan heads in my family."
(Ninako dug her elbow into Hajime's ribs, her lips puckered in a smile she was trying to keep from growing. Hajime hid his expression with another glance out the window.)
Inou's face turned slightly pink, and an ungainly, prideful smile creased his mouth. His joy at being recognized was wrestling hard with his desire to hold onto his adolescent outrage. "Oh, that's, uh… well I'm glad you feel that way," he said. "I mean, honestly, I thought you were gonna, like… ignore me or disown me or something if I told you."
"Of course not," Sasuke said. "It's your heritage. It was unfair to deny you any of it growing up, so the least I can do is support you now, to… make up for that."
"Wow, uh, okay…" Inou tucked some of his hair behind his ear, bashfully happy. "At this point I'll have to introduce you to my boyfriend, since you seem to be taking this so well…"
Sasuke's face was stone-still. "Boyfriend?"
"Uh, yeah, we met at work," Inou said.
"...that's unacceptable."
Inou's good mood evaporated in an instant. "Excuse me?"
"You met at work? As in, you work together? Unless that's all right with your supervisor then I can't exactly approve." Sasuke's face remained utterly deadpan.
"For your information, my supervisor has nothing against gay people," Inou said, huffing a little. "So if you can't deal with that, then-"
"That isn't what I meant," Sasuke interrupted, and though his tone was firm, it was dispassionate. "From what I understand, relationships between members of the same department tend to cause issues. Are you two in the same department?"
Inou felt fuzzy between his ears. "...well, no, I mean, he's in Processing and I'm in Investigations, so we interact on cases sometimes, but we're not... exactly in the same department, so…"
"So long as it isn't causing any problems," Sasuke said. He cleared his throat. "As your father, I advise you to keep your work and your relationships separate, but… of course, that's just advice, and you don't need to follow it."
"...sure," Inou said. The fuzzy feeling between his ears turned slightly dizzy.
"I would like to meet him, though," Sasuke continued. "He must be quite something, if you like him."
"I'll, uh… talk to him about that," Inou said.
It was a lucky thing that Kumori had become bored in the living room next door, because he began shouting and knocking his wooden blocks together.
"Whoops, looks like that's my cue!" Ninako said, hastily smiling. "Uh, good conversation, everyone! Fun to listen to. 'Scuze me…" She ducked out of the kitchen shortly thereafter, Hajime following behind her, nodding to excuse himself.
"I'll come with!" Karai said, dashing behind them as she left the kitchen. "C'mere Kumori, Auntie Karai's here!"
"If you'll excuse me, then, I think I'll enjoy some time alone with my wife, since it seems I'll be staying for a while longer," Sasuke said. His voice was still solemnly stony, his face giving nothing away but the slightest blush of his cheeks.
"Go fulfill your husbandly duties, Father, I'll leave you be," Takeru said, smirking. "You needn't be so subtle about it with us."
"Nope, not hearing this, I am not hearing this." Inou ran out of the kitchen with his hands over his ears, before his face could grow any redder.
"...you know, I didn't mean it like that," Sasuke said, frowning slightly.
"Sure you did." Takeru tossed his hair and reached for his braces. "Go on, then. I'll surely see you in the morning."
"I'll be heading home, I suppose," Nadeshiko said. She got out of her chair. "I'll have volume two of the Yukara Cycle ready for you at breakfast, Father."
"Thank you, Nadeshiko," Sasuke said. He held his arm out for Ino as he stood and, albeit awkwardly, she took it.
Once they were finally in their bedroom, the door closed behind them, Sasuke finally spoke. "Ino?"
"Yes, Sasuke?" They were still standing, barely a few feet away from the door, his arm locked into hers.
"How long has Inou been seeing men?"
"Oh, well… he brought a boy home a few months after he started work with the Police Force, so I suppose it's been almost two years," Ino said.
"That long?" Sasuke said. "And no girls, huh..." he added, without any inflection.
Ino pulled away from him, not-quite-disbelief and not-quite-pity on her face. "Sasuke, did you not know he was gay?"
"If he was… open about it while I was still home then that's news to me," Sasuke said. "I never really… noticed, though…" He groaned and went to sit on the bed.
(Ino had had a feeling about her son's preferences since he was very young - the first real clue was his sneaky preference for her shampoo in the bath - and it would be a stretch to say that anyone in the family was terribly surprised when Inou began dating other boys.)
(The closest he got to formally "coming out" was a belligerent "Yeah, so what?!" when Takeru asked, on his third boyfriend, if this was going to be "a recurring thing.")
(Sasuke's lack of presence in the house probably contributed something towards Inou's confidence in his choices, all things considered. Without him, there was nobody to criticize his choice of friends, or lovers, or whom he would make grandchildren with, or if he would be making grandchildren at all.)
(Well, that, and there were a remarkable amount of attractive young men in the force whom Inou was suddenly interacting with, rather than the androgynous, disinterested Shikake, and decidedly-not-his-taste Chouko.)
(Inou discovered that he was a sucker for glasses.)
"Sasuke, are you going to be okay with this?" Ino continued, treading carefully.
"Of course I'm okay with it," Sasuke said, groaning again. "I just want to know how the hell I didn't notice before."
Ino put her hand on his shoulder with a kind smile. "Sasuke, it's probably for the best that you didn't notice before," she said.
"And why is that?" he said, his head still hanging low.
"Well, you… probably don't want me to answer that."
(All Ino could think about was a Sasuke from a previous life, shoving Inou at girls he approved of, or even arranging a marriage.)
"All the same, it would mean a lot to Inou if you… outright approved of him… going on like this," Ino continued. "I mean, even if you don't approve of this, privately."
"What makes you think I wouldn't approve?" Sasuke said.
(In truth, the Sasuke in the past would have simply ignored it, regardless of his personal opinions, since Inou's production of children or lack thereof would be the Yamanaka clan's problem, not his.)
"Well… tradition, and family, I suppose…" Ino said, in a small voice. "I don't expect him to be having children any time soon, so…"
(That's how it would have been, anyways.)
Sasuke finally looked up at her, and he seemed befuddled. "Ino, I live with Naruto. If I wasn't okay with that sort of thing then I'd have found my own place a long time ago."
Ino took a moment to process this. "...wait, Naruto's gay?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Not exactly. From what I understand, he sort of handles things on a case-by-case basis," Sasuke said, his voice almost conversational. "I don't ask about it, but I noticed at least that."
"Oh, uh, I see…" Ino said, suddenly wondering who in the world the famously-single Hokage had been dating, much less which man he had been dating.
(For the record, Naruto had enjoyed two very long, very stable, and surprisingly chaste relationships in his adult life. Hinata was one of them, obviously, but he'd also been Gaara's sometime-companion for almost as long.)
(With Hinata he could afford to be gossiped about, but for the sake of politics and the infrequency of their meetings, he kept things far more subtle where Gaara was concerned.)
(Sasuke, of course, didn't elaborate any of this to Ino, since it was none of his business.)
"So I don't mind, really, but… well, how do I go about showing Inou that?"
"To be honest, I think what you said at dinner will be okay for now, but…" Ino chewed on her thumbnail. "Well, also, if you're nice to his boyfriend, when he comes by. He's a nice young man."
"I'll do my best," Sasuke said, shrugging, though he groaned again shortly afterward, slumping over and propping himself up on his knees.
"Sasuke, it's okay if you didn't notice at first," Ino said, sitting down beside him.
"It's not that."
"What is it?"
"Inou's too young to be dating," he grumbled. "Fifteen years old and he was already going out? Hrm..."
Ino laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Okay, Sasuke, I'll allow you that."
"Allow me what."
"A completely sensible gripe for a father to have."
She nuzzled him like a cat, enjoying the reluctant chuckle he gave her in return.
Sasuke left, the next morning, as scheduled, after everyone gathered for one last big breakfast. Kumori put up something of a fight, making grabby-hands at Sasuke and whining "Gampa…" when taken away.
(Ino, as it happened, was "Gamma," and would be for a long while yet.)
"It's all right, Kumori, Grampa will be back very soon," Ninako said.
"That's not a guarantee…" Sasuke said, gently.
"No guarantee my foot," Takeru said. "You're welcome back any time, Father." He looked around when he wasn't backed up. "Well, isn't he?"
"I'd be glad to see you again," Nadeshiko said. She'd given him the second volume of the Yukara Cycle earlier, as promised, and they'd scheduled up a meeting to discuss the story once he'd finished, on the side.
"...yeah, I guess you can come back," Inou said, his arms crossed, as usual. "I mean, it's no big deal. I don't care."
"I don't, either," Hajime said. He managed to sound disinterested, despite holding Kumori back from another hug with his grandfather.
"Looks like everyone wants you back, Father!" Karai said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I mean, at least for another visit. I mean."
Sasuke chuckled quietly. "I'll work it out with your mother. It was nice being back again."
And he was back again, the next weekend, in place of a date with Ino. And so it continued, for the weeks afterward, for the odd visit, or birthday, or in one instance, meeting Inou's latest boyfriend.
(The one he'd been dating during the previous New Year didn't last very long after. He vented to Nadeshiko over the phone for hours about it and paced his mother's kitchen in between.)
(When the next one came around, and had lasted longer than a few weeks, Inou introduced the boy to his family, and he was treated with general friendliness all around.)
(Though Sasuke, catching the boy alone later on, murmured to him, "If you break my son's heart, I will make you severely regret it.")
(That relationship ended far less messily than the others. Inou actually stayed friends with him long after.)
The celebrations and the parties that the family was invited to continued, of course. Sasuke was astonished to find himself invited to the Tsuchikage's wedding to one Inaba Nobuhiro, since he barely knew either of them, but got pulled along at Ino's and Naruto's request.
The groom, Nobuhiro, sought him out at the reception after the fact. "You Uchiha Sasuke?"
"I am," Sasuke said, trying not to phrase it like a question.
Nobuhiro shook his hand with huge enthusiasm. "I believe I owe you a drink for taking care of one of my biggest problems, in the past. Sound good?"
"...I'm not much for drinks," Sasuke said, "but it would be rude not to accept."
Sasuke and Nobuhiro never really spoke, after that, but Nobuhiro got satisfaction out of the meeting, and Sasuke, mostly confusion.
(Nobuhiro also got a daughter named Rin out of the marriage, a year or so later, which the Land of Earth celebrated with almost too much fanfare. Yuki got special permission from Kiine to visit his new niece, much like Nobuhiro had gone with Tensho's blessing to marry the ninja woman he loved.)
Sasuke's gifts continued about as frequently as the parties, as well. One of the greatest surprises was a vacation package he presented to Ninako for her birthday, at the same resort he and Ino had visited for hers. "Our trip was sort of trying it out, for them," he admitted to Ino, privately. "Didn't want to send them anywhere lackluster."
Though the package was meant for Hajime and NInako alone, they brought Kumori along anyways, where he experienced the ocean for the first time and developed an enormous distaste for salt water.
When the New Year rolled around again, and with it Kumori's third birthday, Sasuke announced that he was moving back into the house to live with them, having discussed it with Ino.
By that time, he no longer felt so unwelcome, and the feeling was mutual.
Of course, there were still issues. There always had been, and for a long while, they would remain. But they were understood, at least, and lived with, and talked out, instead of rotting and poisoning the family as they had before.
Takeru and Inou recovered fairly quickly, but their brother, Hajime, took another year to even begin forgiving Sasuke, and it was Kumori that helped him.