"You're awful!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
The two children scowled at each other and growled—rather cutely in Sakura's opinion. Naruto tried to referee the sibling squabble. Sakura shook her head and raised a questioning brow at her daughter standing beside Naruto. Kushina—their eldest, with bright red hair and sparkling green eyes—shrugged her shoulders and huffed in annoyance at the twins.
The two arguing children, both with blonde hair and identical faces intensified their glare to each other. Nanako, the little girl with her blonde hair in two pigtails and striking electric blue eyes, pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Irumi, her younger twin, stuck out his tongue at his pouting sister. His blonde hair was pulled in a low ponytail to tame his unruly hair; if it had been cut short then his hair would have resembled his father when he was young. His forest green colored eyes flicked over to his dad before returning to glare heatedly at his sister.
"Gimme back my kunai! Uncle Sasuke gave that to me!" Irumi stomped his foot and puffed his cheeks.
"I told you I don't have it!" Nanako huffed out. "You're being awful again!"
Naruto grabbed Irumi by the back of his collar before his son could tackle his older twin sister. Irumi, after a while of thrashing about slowly stopped and started to whimper. "Come on Rumi, we could just ask your Uncle Sasuke for another one. He has lots of those at the Uchiha compound." Naruto tried to console his crying son.
Irumi shook his head and furiously rubbed his eyes to try and stop the tears. Big boys shouldn't cry!
Nanako's face softened and looked worriedly at her twin. "I'm bein' honest Rumi, I don't have Uncle Sasu's gift."
The blonde little boy cried harder and unabashedly latched on to his father. Kushina shook her head and motioned for Nanako to stand beside her. "Come on Nana, let's try and look for Rumi's kunai, eh?" The eldest whispered, her bright green eyes looking worriedly at her baby brother. Nanako immediately nodded her head vigorously and took her elder sister's hand, both went inside the playroom to try and look for their brother's precious gift.
Sakura smiled at her husband and held out her arms at Naruto indicating the blonde to transfer their little boy into her arms. Naruto stood up and gently pried off Irumi's arms around his neck and gave the little boy to the awaiting arms of his mother.
Irumi, upon seeing his mother cried even more and quickly stretched his arms towards her. Sakura tried to soothe Irumi's crying whispering encouraging words to her baby boy. Naruto watched his wife console their youngest before moving towards the room both his daughters went into. He saw Nanako frowning in concentration as she looked under the bed carefully. Kushina on the other hand searched for the kunai atop the drawers and tall places that Nanako couldn't reach. Both worked silently and very diligently. When they noticed Naruto at the doorway, Nanako immediately looked at her father worriedly.
"Is Rumi ok now daddy?" Nanako's blue eyes flicked at the closed door. Kushina, noticing her little sister's anxiety, laid her hand on her shoulder.
Naruto sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed. He sat Nanako on his knee while Kushina sat beside her father. "Your mum's trying to make him feel better right now, don't worry too much." He patted the little blonde girl on the head.
Nanako frowned. "But daddy I really didn't take it, I swear!"
Naruto hugged his daughter to calm her. "Oh I know sweetheart. You can't lie even if you wanted to you know." Both Kushina and Naruto chuckled. Nanako didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult.
"Rumi's pretty devastated Papa, I didn't even know Uncle Sasuke gave him a kunai." Kushina looked at her father inquisitively.
"Yeah, your uncle took your little brother last week and taught him how to throw a kunai. Apparently he gave the kunai that hit the board to Irumi. This was when you went out with your mom and Auntie Hinata." Kushina gave a soft "Oh" and remembered their picnic that day. How fun it would be for another girl's day out like that.
Nanako looked even more dejected and miserable. The twins did fight a lot but when it came down to it, they doted on each other more than anyone else. Nanako had described it to Naruto one time as having a vague link or feeling. She explained that whenever Irumi felt sad she also felt sad and vice versa.
Naruto shrugged it off as a twin thing.
Kushina, now a genin, was a model elder sister to the twins—whenever she wasn't bullying or pranking them, that is. Their eldest had apparently gotten Naruto's mischievousness. Sakura would always glare at Naruto accusatorily whenever they got called at the academy for Kushina's prank. Fortunately, especially for Naruto, Kushina had also inherited his never give up attitude and Sakura's quick eye of observation. This became useful whenever Sakura went berserk and both Naruto and Kushina would have to look for an escape route.
Sakura came in the room with the now sleeping Irumi in her arms. Naruto stood up and hurriedly took the sleeping boy from his wife and laid his son on the bed and tucked him in. Nanako quickly took off her shoes and laid beside her brother and waited for Naruto to tuck her in too. Naruto chuckled and obliged his daughter.
Sakura and Kushina smiled when Nanako went closer to Irumi and hugged her brother. Irumi, blearily hugged his sister back. Naruto ushered both Sakura and Kushina out of the room when he noticed the twin's even and rhythmic breathing.
When the three had seated themselves around the kitchen table with hot tea and biscuits laid in front of them, Kushina looked at her parents. "Was I much of a cry baby when I was a kid?"
Naruto snorted then grinned at his wife. Sakura on the other hand, sighed and looked amusedly at her daughter. "Well, no. Not realy."
Naruto snorted again. "What your mum's trying to say is no, you didn't cry much but you got mad. A lot."
Kushina gave them a deadpanned look.
Naruto bit his lip and tried not to laugh at the memory when Kushina, then a little 5 year old girl, instead of crying would hold her breath and/or glared at the source of her ire. It was tiring for both parents since Kushina, as stubborn as her parents even at a young age, would not breathe at all until she turned blue and purple. Naruto and Sakura, being newbie parents, panicked excessively at their first born whenever she decided to suddenly hold her breath.
Naruto, for all the crying, glaring and breath holding his children decided to do, was a pretty contented and happy bloke.
"I really love you guys!" Naruto firmly held Sakura and Kushina on the shoulder.
"Eww! Papa! Don't go mushy on me!" Kushina made a face to which both Naruto and Sakura just laughed off.
Yup. He loved being a father.
AN: Here's another short ficlet, which in my opinion needs to be refined a bit more but oh well. I just love the idea of Naruto and Sakura having a hell of a time with their little spawn of devils. Maybe I'll put up one about that, hmmmmm. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!