Chapter 157 - Rosewater Jam
Nadeshiko's son was born in October, late in the month, and he took his time in getting there. Nadeshiko had at least told her mother - and really, only after Ino pestered her about it - that she wanted to have the baby at home and with as little help as possible.
"Nadeshiko, having a baby is not a bother to anyone," Ino said, already guessing at why she requested this specifically. "If you want, I'll get a kit from the hospital and be there for you so nobody else has to. Since that's what you'd want, hm?"
"Only if it's not a bother to you," Nadeshiko replied.
"I'm your mother, this is my grandson, nothing could possibly be a bother to me."
All this said, Nadeshiko still waited until the last possible minute to call her mother to her; Ino managed to gather that she'd actually been in labor for at least a day and fairly far progressed by the time she finally asked for help. "Honestly, honey!" Ino said, as she got her tools spread out and prepared. "What if something happened?"
"Nothing's happened. We'll be fine," Nadeshiko said, though she was in a fair amount of pain, and her hair was damp with sweat.
From there, things proceeded smoothly, but slowly. Inou came over as soon as he heard the news, to hold Nadeshiko's hand and get her ice and other things, but he wasn't the first visitor to arrive. Sasuke was waiting outside her bedroom, seated near the door, reading a book.
"Hey, Dad - did Mom call you?" Inou said, still a little out of breath.
"No, I came with her. She's inside with Nadeshiko," he said.
"You're not going in there?"
"No, I'm… not needed," Sasuke replied. "I have a feeling you'll be appreciated, though. Go on in." He turned the page, and gestured to the door, all while keeping his eyes on his book.
And he was still there when, several hours later, Inou admitted surrender and went to take a nap in the living room on Nadeshiko's couch. Sasuke was reading a different book, but his position hadn't changed at all.
"Hey, you're still here?" Inou said.
"Mm."
"It's the middle of the night, Dad, you don't need to stay up. Mom's even taking a break soon."
"I know, but… I worry," Sasuke said. He sounded like he desperately meant it, to the point of almost groaning.
And Inou, instead of retreating to the couch and to sleep, sat down next to his father. "Yeah, I'm worried too," he said. "I mean… Nadeshiko's talked to you, right?"
"About her situation?"
"Yeah."
"A few times. She knows I support her, but…" He sighed again. "I just hope this child has a good life, with the reasons she has."
"You mean the whole…" Inou looked up as he tried to find the least-pointy words. "Duty to the family thing?"
"Mm. I have no doubts she'll be competent, but…" Sasuke looked up, this time, thinking. "There's a difference between what she's doing and… well, look at Hajime. He's loved his son from the very beginning, regardless of his… family or situation. Nadeshiko, she… has another goal in mind."
"Yeah, I can definitely see that," Inou said.
"So all I can hope for is that she'll raise the boy with love, at least," Sasuke said. "That's all I can hope for. All I can do, really."
Inou put his hand on Sasuke's back. "Hey, it's a lot more than you've done in the past. 'Specially for her." He narrowed his eyes, sleepily, as he realized what he'd just said. "Er, no offense, Dad."
"None taken. I deserve it," Sasuke replied. He shifted away from Inou's hand and smiled a little. "You go get some sleep. I'll come get you if anything happens."
"Thanks, Dad," Inou said. Something inside him felt comforted, though he could only vaguely tell what; having an ally in his worry, maybe, or his father showing a definite interest in Nadeshiko's life that went beyond the superficial. That, plus his exhaustion, had him asleep in moments on the couch without even a blanket to cover him.
The baby was born later on, when even Ino was sleeping, before the sun could rise. He was delivered by Haruno Kenji, Sakura's son, who came to relieve Ino of her duties and let her get some rest from the hard work of support. He'd been doing a splendid job in Konoha's Obstetric and Pediatric wards, and had Sakura's blessing to go when she got the call after midnight from Ino.
Her son's cries ended up waking everybody, but he was calm, whimpering, and swaddled in Nadeshiko's arms by the time Ino got there. "I decided on Han," Nadeshiko said.
Karai got the biggest kick out of the name, when she came by with everyone else in the morning. "Like, when you say it, it sounds like you're laughing! Uchiha-HA! Han. Get it?"
Han, contrary to this, was a colicky little fellow, from the start, and seemed almost permanently red-faced, but Nadeshiko kept him soothed enough as he was passed around among his relatives.
Sasuke had his turn early, after handing over the receiving blanket, having given the clothes to Nadeshiko earlier. He kept himself out of the way otherwise, enjoying the autumn sun in Nadeshiko's garden while everyone else chatted and ate food that others had brought so Nadeshiko didn't have to cook.
But there in the garden, he ran into someone he rather didn't expect: Yakata, running late, with a cut sunflower and a plush bear under his arm.
Truly, Sasuke hadn't seen much of Yakata since returning to his family. Nadeshiko passed on word about him whenever they met for tea or books, but he hadn't seen the boy, much less spoken to him, in years.
He was nearly sixteen, now, almost the same age as Itachi had been when the Third Hokage died. His face was still rather rounded, and his hair was longer, feathery, and almost to his shoulders.
But Sasuke found, looking at him, that his memories ended there. Yakata ran freely, and awkwardly, and his eyes were wide-open and a clear black, without pain. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt over his jeans, and his mouth was fixed to the side of his face with concentration.
And he noticed Sasuke, and slowed down, then waved. "Hey! S-Sasuke-san! Is, is that you?"
Sasuke sat up a little straighter. "It is me. How are you, Yakata?"
"Oh, I'm fine." Yakata's voice had gotten deeper, with his age, but it remained far lighter than Itachi's had ever been, and several times friendlier. "Are, are you here for Nadeshiko?"
"I am. I've already seen the baby, so I'm letting others have their turn," Sasuke replied. "I imagine that's why you're here, too?"
"Yeah, but, but I'm running a little late," Yakata said. He shifted the bear and the flower to the crook of his arm. "Things, things went a little long at the, at the school today."
"At the school?"
Yakata nodded. "I, I volunteer there on, on my days off," he said. "I'm actually planning on becoming a teacher for, for the mixed classes in a few years. You know, the, the ones for civilians and ninjas together? Like, like reading, and stuff…"
"Is that so? Good luck, then," Sasuke said. "I'm sure you'll do fine."
"Thanks," Yakata said, and smiled. "Nadeshiko said that, that you made a blanket for her son. Did, did she decide on a name yet?"
"Han, I believe," Sasuke said. "You can go on ahead in, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." He pointed to the things in Yakata's arms. "I'm assuming those are less for her and more for him?"
"Oh, these? Yeah," Yakata said, and laughed. "The, the bear, mostly, but the flower I, I had to go out of my way for. She, she said it was what she, what she had in mind for her son. I-It means, y'know, pride."
"Is that so?" Sasuke said. "I think that's very kind of you."
"Heh, it, it was nothing," Yakata said.
He stood, quiet, for a moment longer, before Sasuke cleared his throat. "Well, aren't you going in?"
"Oh, o-of course, just, um…" Yakata shifted weight from one foot to another. "I, I thought I'd let you know that, that I've been getting letters from, from your brother, lately."
Sasuke felt his back stiffen up. "Letters?"
"Y-yeah, through, uh, through Murasaki-san," Yakata said. "She, she's been doing that as, as a service, lately, for, for, for people on the other side. Said it, it takes less effort than doing a full… channel, or, or whatever she does."
"Oh," Sasuke said.
(Itachi had always come to him personally, dressed as himself, with Murasaki grounding him. The visits were rare, and they discussed all sorts of things about his family and his progress with them, but never Yakata.)
"It's, it's actually kind of nice!" Yakata continued. "Ooda-san, he, he suggested I go along with it when, when Murasaki-san came to me with, with the idea."
"Ooda…?" It surprised Sasuke how long it took for him to remember - a few seconds, yes, but more than he was expecting. "Oh, yes, that's… Karin's son, isn't it?"
"Mhm, he's, he's one of the clones, like me, too," Yakata said. "He's, he's helped me with a lot of stuff, lately."
"I'm glad to hear it," Sasuke said.
"...S-Sasuke-san, um, I, I hope you don't mind that, that I brought Itachi up. Or, or the clone thing." Yakata shifted his weight again, and he bit his lip.
"...why would I mind?" Sasuke said.
"Oh, just… well, Nadeshiko said that, that you were working on, on moving forward with things. A-Away from the past. In, in general." He shrugged. "So I, I thought mentioning him would, would be… not what you wanted."
"That's… well, I guess that's more of your own situation, Yakata," Sasuke said. "I mean… you're your own person, and I… speak with my brother enough, now, that I don't confuse you two at all."
"Oh, I, I see…" Yakata said. "Well, that… that's nice to hear, I guess! I mean…"
They avoided staring at each other for a few, gangly seconds.
Sasuke gave in first. "You're… not my brother, Yakata. Just… letting you know that. That's how I feel. Now. So... you should know that. I deeply apologize for thinking otherwise… in the past."
"Oh, no, that's… that's fine, I, I understand why, uh… you, you thought that before, so…"
"It wasn't appropriate, though, so it's not all right," Sasuke said. "So… yes, I just want to make sure you know that. From me."
"Thanks for, uh… clearing that up, Sasuke-san. I, I do appreciate it," Yakata replied.
Another moment danced uneasily.
"...you're not, uh, waiting for anything, are you?" Sasuke said. "I mean..."
"Oh, no! No, no, I'm fine, I, I don't need anything," Yakata said, waving his hands. The bear fell out of the crook of his arm, and he quickly bent to pick it up. "I'll, uh… be going inside now! So, I'll… I'll see you later."
"See you later, yes," Sasuke replied.
He'd made far better, far more graceful apologies in the past, but it did well enough for the two of them.
(Yakata hadn't really thought of Sasuke much, the past few years. But hearing for certain from Sasuke what he'd assumed - from what Nadeshiko had told him, anyways - was a comfort to him.)
The visitors petered out, as the day concluded, but someone that made certain to show up was Kotoji. He wasn't with his father, or his new mother - Yamato and Hashiki had gotten married the year before, though they still lived in Kakashi's house, and they both adopted the last name Senju, for convenience's sake. But, darn it, Nadeshiko was still one of his favorite people, and he had to meet her new baby.
Kotoji was eight years old, at that point, soon to turn nine. His baby teeth had fallen out and grown back in a bit straighter, and his skills with his Wood Release were polishing up nicely, though far from practical use yet. He still visited Nadeshiko at the flower shop, but he was much less likely to send the roses into overgrowth, or populate the cashier with cacti.
He showed up towards the late afternoon, after getting out of school, his bag slung over his shoulder and haste flushing his cheeks. Most of the family was helping with food cleanup, or already back in their homes; only Nadeshiko's parents and Yakata remained, the latter of which Kotoji was also happy to see.
"So is this your baby, huh?" he said, pointing to the bundle on the floor next to her futon.
"Yes, that's Han," Nadeshiko replied.
"Can I hold'm?"
"Yes, but do be careful." Nadeshiko leaned over and picked up the baby, who began howling shortly afterward from being disturbed. "Shh, shh. Be sure to support his head."
Kotoji crossed his legs and kept the baby balanced between them, Han's arms coming free from his blanket and flailing in the air as he cried.
"Hey, little buddy, don't cry! Check this out." Kotoji eased a finger into one of Han's palms, and his hand closed around it on reflex. "Woo-woo-woo, here, lookit this!"
And, miraculously, Han stopped crying.
(And, as simple as that, a friendship began.)
(And, as simple as that, the last, truest descendant of Uchiha Madara was kindly and firmly tied to Senju Hashirama's, as if second chances were guaranteed with such generations.)