FIRST ARC - Chapter 3: Fated Game

Her pearl eyes looked up at him – scared.

A tempest was brewing inside her, "Get out!" she managed to croak out, her voice had a ragged rasp that scraped the wounded presence of Sasuke.

Sasuke leaned forward to take her palm, his large hand hovering over hers, he whispered, "I can't." He put the rolled-up paper on her cold hand which trembled in his grasp, his fingers brushed against hers and felt the shrill creep up his skin. "This is his will. I want to stay here, Hinata."

Her body wracked with sobs; she withdrew her hand from his in a jerk, her movement was sharp and defensive. Hinata stared at the document, her grip tightening around it as if it were a weapon. With a sudden, violent movement, she flung it to the floor, the paper crumpling like a defeated soldier.

"I don't want you here! Why? Why are you here? Why ... after all this time, why now? After taking him away from me, why?" She slammed her fists on his chest repeatedly; her pent-up rage increasing the intensity of the blows after each attack from her fist connecting to his chest.

She was the ghost of a woman that Naruto talked about, she was not the Hinata he imagined her to be.

There was desperation in every hit she threw, a protest was made with every wound she aimed to inflict on his body. He could feel the heat of her anger in those tiny fists slamming into her chest. Sasuke stood motionless; his face masked by impassivity.

The will of Naruto, and the stuffed toy – both lying on the floor, near her feet. Like lost and abandoned dreams, she must have had.

"It was what he wanted," he muttered, catching her flaying frail fists and pulling her closer to him so her dwindling frame could be steady. She was fidgeting in his hold but his grasp was iron-tight on her wrists. "He told me to take care of his family. His last wish. I made a promise to him that moment that I would." Hinata's blows faltered, replaced by a shuddering sob.

"Oh, aren't you such a noble man, Sasuke...to honour the wishes of a man you murdered!" She hissed, looking up and breathing fire onto his face.

Sasuke's face hardened, the mask of impassivity slipping away, revealing the raw pain beneath.

Sasuke was a canvas of destruction. Various Justus had destroyed his body, many poisons had rotten his insides fracturing it with festering blight, a wide variety of bruises had been inflicted upon him painting his skin with purple and blue constellations, even his mind had been destroyed by his own brother, ravaged and now reduced to a wasteland – Yet, amidst this ruin, it was the venomous words and glacial eyes of Hinata that held the true power to annihilate him. She cut him.

Murder. That was what she said. And Sasuke's blood ran cold.

Cruel. Hinata was cruel. She wielded her weapon with icy precision that chilled him to the bone.

But...you deserve this, his mind held him in contempt too.

He lowered his head, to her height, leaving her wrists which made her back away almost desperately, "You can strike me all you want, you can burn me with your words, you can even kill me and end my existence – but I am here for you, whether you like it or not. I won't leave you."

The eyes which were pearly almost looked like fiery red as they were bloodshot and red-rimmed, she bellowed, "I will leave. I can't stand your presence. How...How dare you!" Tears, silent but glistening, streamed down her face, her parched lip quivered and her face grew redder with anger.

He swallowed the lump, sighing to get his strength, he had to reinvent himself, for her, he had to be the Sasuke who was willing to take every venomous bite from her, "I will follow you."

"I will kill you!" she seethed. The lone dangling warm lightbulb hanging over them casting shadows on her face and made her tears-stained pale look like sun-struck. The same shade which was Naruto's face. The hallway of her house's entrance was narrow, the walls felt like they were closing in on them, crushing them.

He nodded at her, ensuring that his dark eye held no fury, "I am ready to die...if you kill me."

"Naruto-kun...is gone. I don't need you. He did. But I don't!" Her frail form sank to her knees as she gathered a rolled parchment and her son's worn teddy bear, a silent testament to a life irrevocably altered.

Before she could flee towards the staircase, his hand clamped down on her wrist, a vice-like grip that halted her escape.

"You will leave this place?" he asked.

She gritted her teeth, "Yes! Living with my lover's murderer isn't something I appreciate!" she spat her venom, Sasuke sucked in his breath clenching his jaw, control, she is Naruto's, you can't hurt her, you have to protect her, he reminded himself.

"Leaving the last memory of Naruto like that?" Now, he knew what he was doing was...as Naruto would say, dick move, but he had to hold her. He had to make her stay, for her own benefit. So, he embraced the desperate; cruel mistress, "Can you survive alone? In this condition of yours?" he raked his eyes up and down her fragile and crumpled body, "After giving birth to your son, I have heard...the Hyuga's abandoned princess is exactly the way how she used to be before her first chunin exam." He knew he had touched the raw nerve.

With a feral snarl, she wrenched her wrist free, her body a coiled spring of fury. A searing pain lanced through his chest as her weakened chakra-infused palm connected. His vision blurred for a moment, the world tilting on its axis.

Her Byakugan, activated, pulsed with a chilling intensity as the veins protruded around her eyes, a predatory glint in her eyes. Her presence was a haunting wave coiling around him.

A hiss escaped his lips, stealing the smirk away from his face as his Chakra point registered the assault from her. "How dare you!" Each word she let out was laced with such venom that attacked the sanity of Sasuke, well, whatever of it was remaining.

A cruel smirk twisted Sasuke's lips as he masked the agony blooming in his chest where her palm was pressed. "You are no match for me," he taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. "But I allow you to destroy me to no end, Hinata. Torment me as you wish, but I will not abandon you...but I won't leave you. I am here, for you and your son-"

"Don't you dare be near to my son!" Desperation fuelled her actions as she clawed at his shirt, her chakra surging forth in a desperate attempt to inflict pain. He stood impassive, enduring her assault as a silent testament to his resolve.

Her fingers, cold and trembling, wrapped around his throat, a delicate yet deadly grip. He felt the icy tendrils of her chakra seeping into his skin, numbing his senses. Her Byakugan, a menacing beacon in the dim light, pulsed with a deadly intensity. "I will leave this place; you want the house...take it!" Her slender cold fingers dug into his skin, reddening the skin as her Chakra pierced through his skin and almost blocked his Chakra points with precision unknown to many giants of the shinobi world.

He cleared his throat, "You will run, I will follow you. And how much will you run, until when?" His hands captured her forearm again and yanked and twisted them behind her, his grip tightened around her wrists, pinning them to her lower waist. Sasuke leaned in close to her side and whispered curtly in her ear, "Naruto's wealth won't last forever. You are no longer a Kunoichi. It will take years to regain your strength to reach the level to do missions. You are neither Hyuga nor Uzumaki. Tell me, Hinata, how will you survive, how will you care for your child?"

Her chest rose up and down, stuck to him, he could feel it, the anxiety budding within her trembling frame. Her body shook with silent sobs, the reality of her situation sinking in. "I... I w-will be a K-kunoichi again," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. The single bulb cast grotesque shadows, dancing and contorting on the walls, mirroring the chaos within.

Sasuke watched the defeat and despair paint themselves across Hinata's face, and a flicker of something akin to pity crossed his heart. Battered soul of hers, he recognized within her.

He leaned back, withdrawing his hands from her lower back, she stepped back abruptly, he explained to her the terms, "Then fight me and kick me out, once you regain your strength...show me you can take care of yourself and I don't have to bound myself to a promise to Naruto anymore...then I will leave!"

Sasuke was being an asshole and manipulative! He knew the harsh, sharp timbre of his voice was grating, his words a blunt instrument wielded with brutal efficiency. He was aware of how he sounded, he sounded overpowering and insolent. But he couldn't muster any kindness, as he hardly knew its lexicon himself.

Also, he couldn't be truthful, for that meant that he had to be vulnerable and broken, on his knees in front of her, which he had no shame in doing considering he was a sinner of Hinata but figured that it was not something that Hinata needed. She needed him to be a fortress, not a confessional.

The Hinata Naruto spoke of, could have taken his brokenness into account, she could weather his sins and forgive.

But the broken Hinata in front of him was a hollow shell haunted by losses; slimmer than before and frail, pale with sunken eyes, bruised lips and shivering limbs, filled with remorse and blazing fury – that Hinata needed Sasuke to be the stronger opponent; sane arguments or honest apologies or empathetic pleas, they were not something that the Hinata Naruto left behind, needed.

She was a wounded animal, lashing out in pain. And Sasuke, in his twisted logic, believed he was the only antidote to her suffering.

The Hinata burning in pain and anger needed an outlet to vent her anguish; Sasuke was willing to be her punching bag if it meant that she could regain herself. But for that, Sasuke needed to make her helpless enough to accept him, willingly or not. To break her spirit, to force her into submission, was a cruel and necessary step.

"I know you don't want to leave this house, for this is his last gift to you..." he stepped forward, she stepped back, her glare burning his face, "But I am here, no matter what, to make up for his last wish." He stepped forward again, she stepped back again. She recoiled, her eyes narrowing to slits.

Anger swam in her eyes, frustration danced in the lines on her forehead and fear lingered in every ragged breath that she took – she is scared of me, he figured and his gaze dipped.

A wince cut the silence that befell around them.

His gaze flickered upwards to find her clutching her left arm, a crimson blossom blooming where a fresh wound had opened. Her eyes squeezed shut, a low hiss escaping her lips as she pressed futilely at the wound, deepening the crimson stain.

Did she enjoy pain? He questioned.

"I hate you, Sasuke," she ground out, her voice a venomous whisper.

He whispered, softly, "I am willing to consume all of your hatred...and everything that you have to offer to me."

He extended his hand to hold her arm and examine the wound but she flinched and stepped back, "He shouldn't have trusted you so much," she spat, "He shouldn't have made you the owner of this house or his anything."

"He trusted me for you. I intend to not break that trust," he responded, extracted a handkerchief from his pocket and pulled her arm towards him, ignoring her feeble protests. As he cleaned the wound, she squirmed like a trapped animal, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and defiance, "I am sorry, Hinata."

"Do you think...taking care of his family will be your atonement." Her grip tightened around his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. His eyes bore into hers and darkened at the mention of atonement. How much has Naruto told her about? "Atone! You want to atone, right?"

"This..." he licked his lips, calming his raging nerves and reeling mind, "This isn't atonement for me. This is simply a promise...I made to my best friend who was my brother."

She paused as if she braced herself and sharpened her knives, to plunge at him and take out his heart. Inches apart from him, she honed her weapon, so brave.

"Another brother you killed."

And there...there she did. She clawed her nails into his chest and squeezed his heart out of it, ripping the nerves and veins, and everything else that made him breathe. Her words were daggers, twisting into the brutal wounds she inflicted on him.

His hand which was wiping away the blood and hovered over her bruise, paused, his grip on her arm loosened, and he stumbled backwards, a defeated figure, dropping the blood-stained handkerchief on the dark wooden floor.

And he scrambled away from her like a crow flapping away from the clutches of a soaring predatory eagle, while she stood in all her glory; a broken doll but with such sharp edges that even the devil would question himself.

Hinata...killed him, again.

Sasuke understood that living with Hinata was no atonement, it was punishment, for she would break him piece by piece, bleed him dry and throw him to the hounds. A slow agonizing death awaited him if he walked the path that Naruto requested him to follow.

Can you do this, Sasuke? His mind asked.

I have no choice. His quivering heart bowed.

Another brother you killed! Her words rang in his head, and pounded at the back of his skull, igniting the heated pain that his nightmares used to carry for him to relive, again and again.

Was Hinata his nightmare. He wondered.

Perhaps, she was.

A small and tired smirk twisted her lips, Hinata was proud of the burn she caused the one who had the ability to carry and blow fire on and from his mouth. Hinata intended to break him, to make him step away, just like he intended to make her helpless, to make her give in.

A fated game, they played.

With no victors. But only casualties.

If there was anyone else, Sasuke knew his eye would have turned red by now, a Genjutsu of their worst nightmare would have decayed his opponent...but here, his opponent was the one who was living in a nightmare that Sasuke's mistake had created for her. So, he had no way to defend himself, for he was her assailant. In a way.

Or at least, in her head.

Sasuke shut his eyes, breathing heavily, seeking a calmness to cloak him to stop him from reacting against her. He had to quell the raging inferno slithering in his nerves.

He reminisced about a conversation with Kakashi, which Kakashi warned him and disapproved of Sasuke's ways to cater to his promise to Naruto.

Kakashi punched the desk before him, frustration gnawing at him, "Hinata-chan has been diagnosed with post-partum depression, Sasuke. And she has shown no willingness to heal. Usually, new mothers struggle with this. But she has the added trauma of losing Naruto, her identity as a Hyuga, her failing body and her weakened Byakugan for which she worked so hard for...you will either destroy her or make her live. You are a gamble. Naruto entrusted her to you, but I...I doubt his choice."

Before Sasuke could open his mouth, Kakashi stated a harsh truth, "To heal someone, you must be healed yourself. And you are beyond any healing...at this point. You yourself need to get treatment for your wounded soul."

Sasuke knew nothing about healing people, it was simply Naruto's speciality, but all he had was his powers and all he could offer Hinata and her son was his protection, "I will protect her. And her son."

Kakashi raked his hand in silver hair, huffing, "But will you heal her?"

Sasuke intended to be her shadow, "I will give her enough strength to heal herself."

Kakashi leaned forward, his elbows on his desk with her palms clasped, his chin resting on the intertwined fingers, "She will never be the Kunoichi she was once before. Sakura says her body has been irrevocably changed by childbirth. Her chakra levels are depleted, and her Byakugan weakened."

Sasuke revisited how Kakashi looked like he couldn't trust him for Hinata. He huffed in annoyance. He had Naruto's full faith, he had to prove Naruto right, and prove Kakashi and his doubts wrong.

He sucked in a breath, the molten lava on his tongue was swallowed down and burned his insides instead of causing havoc to her already fraying state.

Hinata, the first human in the world, who had made Sasuke suppress his wrath, despite taunting him with his worst pain.

He continued to stare at her, readied against another onslaught of bitter truths from her, Instead, she cradled her wounded arm, her gaze a mixture of defiance and pain. With a limp, she turned to leave, her voice a mere whisper, "I need no one." And shot him a glare before limping towards the staircase while announcing, "I don't need you. I can live alone."

Sasuke felt the lump lodged into his throat, he gulped and rushed to her. She had to accept him. She had to! She needed to know the severity of his actions. Desperation coursed through him, "What if...what if I tell you a truth which will make you accept me here."

"Nothing will make me accept you," she spun on her heel and retorted.

"Many women give birth," he persisted. "Ino, for example. Why then has your body suffered such devastation?"

"Because I am weak! I was born weak!" She shrieked, tears welling up in her canvas-like stare.

"No," Sasuke countered, "It is because you gave birth to a child, who has a nine-tailed chakra inside him."

Her voice was a mere breath, "What?" she frowned and sputtered. "What are you..."

He explained with gravity, "My Rinnegan sensed it...that day, during his memorial."

She shook her head, denial fogging her mind, "Kurama is dead! Naruto...Naruto-kun is dead." Her parted lips quivered, trying to get another set of words out but unable to get them. Fear and confusion warred within her; he could read her. Hinata, a fragile vessel, was on the brink of shattering.

Sasuke clicked his tongue, explaining such an anomaly was daunting, "Your son has an...in-born nine-tailed beast."

She hissed, her voice was a guttural growl, "That is impossible!" she lunged at him, grabbing his collars. Her blood-stained hand left a red print on his dark shirt.

"I know. But that is the case. It is a very faint chakra, but it is there. I am sure...today if I see, it will be brighter than that day."

She choked out, "You mean...i-it is g-growing?" She stammered, her hold on him however was iron-clad.

He nodded, "It is what Kakashi and I have come to agree with."

"Hokage-sama knows?"

"I asked for his assistance before my jail," he hesitatingly added.

With a violent jerk, she pulled him closer, their faces mere inches apart. Her voice, a raw, wounded cry, filled the hallway. "I am his mother, Sasuke! You should have told me! I deserved to know!"

His eyes held a flicker of remorse. "You were not in the right state of mind."

"And I am right now?" she snickered, a dry and humorous laugh which was more of a cough.

He confessed another truth which he knew she could consider a ploy from him, "I had to tell you...so you understand why you need me?"

"Oh!" Her eyebrows arched; scepticism etched into her features. "What if you are lying...just so you can be-" Hinata pushed him away, his frame almost tumbled with the low-positioned wooden rack for the slippers.

He straightened, didn't resort to defending himself but instead decided to rattle her, "But what if I am not...what if there are people after him when he grows up...Isn't Hyuga council already after you and him, for their sealing monstrosity? Will you take that chance just to spite me?"

Hinata looked taken aback, a shadow fell over her features, her trembling palm lifted up to set aside the wispy strands of her midnight hair off her face, "Naruto-kun...he had Kurama sealed inside of him, Haru...my b-baby didn't have that so how come-" her voice trailed off.

"I believe it is because of Kurama's chakra within Naruto had been assimilated to a point which was like his own chakra, so having a child must have caused a nine-tailed to be born," Sasuke craned his neck, easing up the pain she inflicted on his chakra points, if she was in her full strength, she could have blocked them and made him paralysed, "Orochimaru supports this theory too with all his knowledge about genetics and-"

Hinata's eyes flashed, "Him? Who told him about my son?" She interrupted sharp and accusing, almost yelling at him again.

He winced, "Uh...I asked for his expertise through Kakashi for-"

She groaned, clutching her hair on either side of her head. "With what right did you involve a man like him in all this? He was with Akatsuki who hunted nine-tailed beasts and he is...a demented man!" she shouted out some valid points, which made him realize that perhaps, involving Orochimaru wasn't the brightest idea, "And for what purpose did you even need him for my son!" She huffed out a deep breath while her voice strained, her anger pulsing in the veins throbbing in her slender neck.

The weight of his fault came crashing down at him.

Sasuke knew he fucked up, but all he had left was the truth, so yet again, he confessed to something which he shouldn't have done, "I asked him to prepare a seal, to contain the nine-tailed chakra in your son."

She materialised closer to him in a blur and slapped him hard, her weakened state betrayed him because the force with which she hit him spoke of no weak woman. Her palm had the chakra which slammed onto his cheek, darkening his pale skin, and stinging his skin. "Sasuke Uchiha, you have no right! No right to plan a sealing on my son." Her voice, stern and loud, slapped him even more.

Sasuke Uchiha. His Uchiha pride was crushed by the way she called out his name with distaste and rained assaults at him, rightfully though.

"It is the only solution. We don't know if it is Kurama or something else, it is to keep your son safe until we know what we are dealing with. Hinata, if you just think of it logically then-"

She snapped, her fists clenched at her side, ready to strike, "Who are you to think of his safety? You are not his father. You are not his anyone!"

He punched the wall beside him, and retorted, another loud and velvety voice echoed in the empty hallway which was not hers, "Naruto entrusted you and him to me, so I will think about your safety no matter what." Sasuke had enough, his rage had lacked patience. "And I am his godfather. You...you can't take away what Naruto and I shared from me! You can't, Hinata!"

He was ready to take any hits from Hinata but his heart was thrumming in his chest at the disrespect she threw at his and Naruto's bond. He was the only one he had. you killed him, Sasuke. His inner voice chided. But he ignored it.

Her side of battle began, carrying some harsh truths which he couldn't deny either, "You killed him, Sasuke! You have been trying to kill him for years! How do I trust you. Tell me? How do I trust you to not hurt my son!" She didn't stammer for once when she attacked him with her blistering words.

His nostrils flared, his voice matched hers in being sharp, "I would never hurt Naruto's son!"

"How can I be sure?" she shouted back in defiance.

Sasuke ran a hand over his face, his mind racing. Groaning, he began, "Because..." He heaved a deep sigh, "Because he was all I had and now...you and your son are all I have of him," Sasuke assured, his voice was nothing but a whisper; so soft, so kind, something that could be Naruto's, but never his.

Sasuke was never kind, so how could he could sound kind? He wondered.

He was sure that even Naruto would have questioned, 'Teme, why do you sound like a wimp.' Something along the lines would have been his response.

Sasuke couldn't believe he sounded that kind.

He just wished it was enough to melt the stone barrier around her heart.

A flicker of surprise crossed Hinata's face, her accusing eyes momentarily still.

She just gaped at him; her mouth open and eyes wide at the vulnerability Sasuke exposed, Sasuke tilted his head, matching the fervour with which she peered at him. He recognized that her pearly eyes weren't white or grey, they were...lilac. Like how the sky used to turn a faint shade of purple before the dark of night pierced through the light.

She breathed heavily, "My son...he...I..." Her mind played with her, visible by her fumbling words.

He interrupted her already broken train of thoughts and added, "I would be there during the sealing, always...Kakashi too. The seal requires monthly visits. Or in case of emergency, we'd need to get the seal strengthened."

"All of this..." she fell down on the ground, clutching her head, "I thought...I mean...It was all supposed to be easy," she sobbed, "With him, it was easy. Not being Hyuga didn't matter, my strengths didn't matter...but now...without him..." she hiccupped, out of breath, Sasuke crouched in front of her, his outstretched hand hovering uncertainly over her arm. The memory of her flinch earlier prevented him from touching her, "Now I am a weak mother, a bad mother," she seethed, hissing at her own self, "At the mercy of a man who killed Naruto-kun," she looked up at him, helplessness drowning her, he could see, for he had been at the same crossroads too.

He won the first round of the game. It was a dangerous game he was playing, a game with no clear end in sight.

She broke him, but not too much, not enough to make him step back.

He made her helpless, way too much, making her give in.

He won the game, at her expense. Cold dread crept up his spine. Would Naruto approve his methods? His best friend's girl was entrusted to him, for protection, what if, what if she would need protection from him.

He could only hope that the future he intended to give her was worth the pain he made her go through. A heavy, oppressive silence settled between them. Sasuke's gaze, a deep, fathomless pool, searched her face.

"I will protect him," he murmured, his voice a gentle caress as his hand found the crown of her head. The gesture was a tentative reach, "and you too."

Her voice, a trembling cry, broke the stillness. "W-what do you w-want in r-return?"

"Promises aren't for barter."

She accused, her voice barely a whisper, "You aren't s-selfless." Her eyes met his, and her tears clung to her long and dark eyelashes and fluttered against her crimson cheeks.

"Then..." he sighed, "Forgiveness is what I need from you." And as he looked at Hinata, her fragile form huddled on the cold floor, he realized that their journey together would be a long and arduous one.

Her voice carried confusion, echoing in the silent and dimly lit hallway with his thudding heart ringing loudly in his ears, "Why do you c-care about my f-forgiveness."

He offered no explanation, only a simple, profound truth. "I just do."

A sharp but muffled cry erupted from the distance, Hinata's eyes widened in alarm and she pushed herself off the floor, her arm's wound still dripping wet with sticky blood trailing a path down her white skin. Ignoring the pain, she sprinted towards the stairs, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

Sasuke was frozen, his mind reeling. The infant's cry was a jarring intrusion into his world, a stark reminder of the life that was unfolding beyond his control, cementing the change second by second. A baby, oh!. He felt the soft padding of footsteps descending the stairs, a counterpoint to the baby's wail.

When Hinata emerged, cradling a wailing blonde bundle, her eyes held a fierce determination that belied her physical weakness. She passed him without a glance, her focus solely on the distressed infant.

Despite the house being partially his as well, he felt like a foreign entity. He stepped forward, each step signifying a new change he was bringing into his world. Crossing the hallway, he came across a spacious lounge where a wooden table with six chairs, sat in the middle. To the left was a doorless archway, leading to a living room, adorned with a rug with soft patterns, craft similar to those he saw in Suna. Simple cocoa-brown sofa set, with a wooden table in the middle. A small chandelier hung on the ceiling, gleaming with the sparkle of those dangling crystals.

To the right side of the table, another archway revealed the kitchen having shelves lined up above the marbled countertops, appliances standing tall. Hinata stood near the counter, cradling a baby in the crook of her arm while with another hand trying to open the lid of a box with furrowed eyebrows in concentration.

Sasuke stepped inside; the flooring was lighter in colour compared to the rest of the house. He stood opposite her, on the other side of the middle counter. The stove was on, water was rippling and coming to boil in a steel kettle, steam rising and dancing in the air.

Sasuke reached out and put off the lid of the metal container of milk powder, the sweet-smelling scent wafted in the kitchen, filling the air. She didn't look up when he abruptly reached out to take the container away from her hold. The wailing of the baby echoing and bouncing off the tiled walls of the kitchen was her focus.

Hinata's voice, a soft melody amidst the chaos, was a futile attempt to soothe the distressed child. Sasuke looked at the tiny fists of the baby tugging at the long dark locks of Hinata, while pouted lips jutted out and breathed out sob after sob, whiskered tanned face streaked with tears.

Four months ago, Naruto's son was way smaller, way more fragile looking, now he was...fatter.

"Haru...baby, calm down," Hinata hummed to him as she poured two spoons of that yellowish powder in the bottle. "Haru..." she murmured to the baby, to soothe his distress.

Did he understand? He wondered.

She leapt to the side to put off the stove, The baby's grip tightened around Hinata's necklace, the toad pendant dangling dangerously close to his mouth. With a swift movement, she freed his hand, her voice rising in alarm. "Haru...No!" Hinata pulled it out of his mouth and detangled his hand, the whining and babbling became louder.

"Uff," she huffed, staring at the steel utensil with boiling water.

"Do you need help?" he asked, staring at the predicament in which she was stuck. She couldn't cradle a jumpy and crying child in her arms and pour the hot liquid into the bottle.

"No!" she curtly muttered, still patting the back of her hiccupping baby.

Sasuke learned a lesson there, Hinata was impossible, he didn't have to ask her every time. Circling the counter, he positioned himself beside her, his hands clenching and unclenching in anticipation. Reaching out, he gently took the struggling infant from her arms, she was about to protest with a hiss, "Sasuke-"

His voice cut through her protest, "I can carry him, you can prepare his milk."

He hesitatingly put his hand on the back of the baby's head, cradling him on his neck. With the baby nestled against his shoulder, Sasuke retreated a few steps, his mind racing. The last time he had held an infant was a distant memory, perhaps even a figment of his imagination.

As their eyes met, the baby's cries subsided, replaced by a curious stare. The soft scent of peaches, a subtle sweetness, wafted towards Sasuke, a comforting counterpoint to the baby's milky aroma.

He greeted when big blue eyes met his singular onyx eye, and the weeping halted, "Hi."

Sasuke's eyes tore from the baby and drifted to Hinata who was stunned near the counter, with the bottle of milk prepared but tightly grasped in her hand, her movements jerky and imprecise. He looked back at the baby, who seemed to scrutinize him, his thumb stuck in his mouth as he sucked on it and flitted his unfocused gaze over Sasuke's face. His other hand tugged on the growing spikes of his dark hair on his nape, oddly Sasuke could feel the faint scent of familiar lavenders from him as the baby fidgeted in his embrace. Her scent.

Again, his gaze flitted to Hinata who was shaking the milk feeder, pouring a little on the pad of her finger then tasting it. Why? Some precautionary thing! She turned the stove off and discarded the remaining water in the sink, washed it and put it on the stand, upside down. Sasuke's eyes were involuntarily following each of her moves. His Sharingan had captured the process of preparing the milk already for future purposes. She again tilted the feeder over the back of her hand, tasting the drop of milk, perhaps, to test the temperature. He made a mental note of that action.

The squirming little creature in his arm was occupied with playing with his hair, for some unknown reason, Sasuke was not bothered by it. Perhaps, the similarity of the baby to his best friend was the reason. Sasuke peered at the baby, who was sticking out his tongue and blowing, causing saliva to bubble up. A drool bib was latched onto his neck, he picked up the soft material and wiped the saliva-glossed lips. The baby – Haruto, leaned his head back and babbled. "Ow." "Ooh" His gurgles and coos filled the empty silence.

Sasuke had never imagined that he'd be cradling a baby in his lifetime, despite his goal of restoring his clan. But there he was, having a blonde-haired, cerulean-eyed baby in his arm, squirming and babbling while he cleaned his drool. Itachi, are you looking at this? He remembered his brother, who perhaps had done something similar for him when he took care of Sasuke.

The peace was short-lived, Haruto's little fists started clenching as shrill shrieks erupted, and he began wailing again. His body convulsing in Sasuke's arms.

"Just a moment, Haru. Calm down," Hinata's voice boomed, which made his weeping go louder.

Sasuke's eyes darted from Hinata to the teary-eyed baby in a flash, seeking an answer to the scenario unfolding. What do I do with a crying baby? He started to pat the back in a rhythmic motion but to no avail, as Haruto was acting up by flailing his small limbs haywire, Sasuke had to lean his head back or tilt to the side to escape the beating.

Hinata approached him with downcast eyes. Haruto, with a desperate cry, stretched out his arms, seeking the familiar comfort of his mother. Without hesitation, Hinata scooped him up, the baby's body melting into her embrace.

As she retreated from the kitchen, Sasuke followed, a silent observer of this intimate exchange. Sasuke found her in the living room, where she settled on the sofa, laying Haruto on her lap and putting the feeder in his mouth, his cries halted abruptly as he started devouring the offering.

Sasuke leaned against the archway frame and stared at the way Hinata's arms rocked her baby, while he drifted off to sleep finishing his sweet meal. That part didn't look that hard, he acknowledged. As Haruto fell into a slumber, Hinata unlatched the bottle from his mouth tilted her head back and huffed in distress and exhaustion, holding her baby close to her chest.

The colour of motherhood was evident on her; the red on her cheeks, the black under her eyes, the dried pink of her lips and the white of her skin – highlighting the motherly love and weariness etched onto her being.

"This world isn't for you, Sasuke Uchiha," she called out, "You won't be able to keep the promise." She glanced at him with a hard, unyielding stare. Sasuke understood the world she referred.

He shrugged nonchalantly, leaning away from the archway. "I told you, beat me and prove to me that you are capable of protecting yourself, and I'll be out of your life. But until then... I am willing to live in your world for him... whether you like it or not." He scanned the room, his eyes settling on a door beyond the kitchen and living room. "Naruto told me he prepared a room on the ground floor... I'm sure it's that one," he said, pointing to the door.

"I hate you and this little game of yours!" she seethed, her anger palpable.

"Goodnight," he declared, turning away and heading toward the brown wooden door. To rattle her further, he added, "See you in the morning."

He heard her groan in frustration as he moved past the living room. Pushing the door open, he found himself in an empty space. Beige walls, warm lighting, and two ceiling fans greeted him. Instead of a bed, three rolled-up futons were stacked neatly. A large cupboard and a dresser with a rounded mirror and drawers beneath stood against the wall.

Directly across from the door hung a picture: the Team Seven photo, a recreation of their Genin days. Kakashi stood behind them wearing a Hokage Hat, with a grown-up Sakura sporting short hair, her eyes closed and a huge grin on her face, her fists raised in excitement. On either side of her were her two best friends: Naruto with a sheepish smile, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, and Sasuke, slightly tilted away from Sakura, his Rinnegan covered, one eye glaring, his body draped in a black cloak.

He remembered the picture; it was taken right after the war, post-Sasuke's sentencing, where he was proven a Konoha ally thanks to Naruto and Kakashi's efforts. They took that photo after Naruto's incessant pleas, just before Sasuke embarked on a two-year atonement trip and a mission to track the Kaguya remnants.

Dust dotted the glass of the picture and the minimal furniture. A throbbing pain pulsed at the back of his skull, heralding the onset of his nightmares. Exhaustion weighed heavily behind his eyes, compelling him to sleep despite the horrors that awaited him in his dreams. He made a mental note to clean later and yanked open a futon with a sharp jerk to shake off the dust. Sneezing, he unfurled the futon and collapsed onto it, hoping for a new life to begin without complications.

Sasuke Uchiha embarked on a journey, whose outcome he could have never fathomed. The game he began had way too many layers to explore; if he had any idea of those, he would have never taken up the game. Especially when his opponent was a woman with lilac eyes and lavender scent.