Sparks Fly

by Lynns

It's been three years since Electricians Naruto and Hinata have seen each other. Will sparks fly between them as they endure the cold up north at the Konoha Energy Oilfield Site? Or will the obstacles they face be too much for them to take? Based on the Characters of the series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden in an Alternate Universe

25. After Story Part 2

Series: Naruto

Pairings: NaruHina

Author: Lynns

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Type: Alternate Universe/Romance

Sparks Fly

After Story 2

Fourteen Hours Later . . .

Naruto's fingers drummed impatiently against the wood of the check-in desk. While his co-workers were already dropping off their bags into their camp rooms, he was currently stuck trying to get back into his regular room that he had stayed in over the last nine years. As a foreman, there were specific hallways that were designated for the higher-ups in a company, which usually meant your room had more perks than the normal ones. While Naruto could understand if there was a problem obtaining a regular room since it was so busy, he was becoming even more frustrated when the employee told him that his name could not be found under any reservation with Hyuuga Electric.

The dark-haired woman sitting at the computer in front of him let out a sigh and gave him another apologetic look, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Uzumaki, I can't find your name. I see you stayed with us two weeks ago, but I don't see your name for a current reservation. Perhaps your project manager forgot to book you one?"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto tried to control the anger that was currently radiating through him. The previous two weeks hadn't been great while working in the cold, but the last fourteen hours were really testing his patients' limits. He briefly looked down at the suitcases by his side that he was going to drop off in his room before heading to Tin Town and then behind him to the lineup that was starting to form.

Letting out the breath he was holding, he told the woman that he would call someone and talk to her later. As much as he wanted to vent his anger to the check-in clerk, he knew it wasn't her fault that someone with Hyuuga Electric had forgotten to book a room. While Gaara had said rooms were becoming hard to get the day before, he was still under the impression that one would be ready for him today.

His eyes glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall, and when he realized that it was almost 11 am, Naruto knew he didn't have time to call Head Office at this very moment.

Fuck sakes . . . I have to get my crew back to Tin Town, attend the safety meeting and then get ready to head home for days off. Maybe I'll just ask to leave my bags in one of the trailers . . . I really don't want to take all this luggage home with me just to bring it back . . .

Feeling like his anger wasn't declining while standing in the crowded lobby of people trying to check in or out of their rooms, Naruto grasped onto his suitcases and marched out to the trucks they had been using over the last two weeks. The cold air crashed into him the moment he stepped outside and caused him to take a few shallow gasps until his lungs were used to the frigid atmosphere.

Thankfully, Shota had left both vehicles running to keep them warm while they were all inside dealing with the camp accommodations. After throwing his suitcases into the back, Naruto sat in the driver's seat and waited for his co-workers to join him. His blue eyes closed, and he leaned back while trying to take a few soothing, calming breaths.

While he was frustrated, he was also exhausted as well. The events of last night had thrown a wrench into his plans of what was supposed to be a relaxing, erotic evening with his wife . . . but instead. . .

"Fuck me! Is this cold snap ever going to end?" Hayate cursed as he crawled into the back behind Naruto.

Shota jumped into the front and held his hands up to the vent, "Next week, I think? I usually believe working in the rain is hell, but this fricken weather is making me re-think that decision."

Naruto's eyes slowly opened, and he glanced to his left at the other truck to see Makoto, Ryoto, Junichi and Hina getting into it. He let out a sigh and asked, "So, you all got into your rooms okay?"

The Journeyman nodded, "No issues whatsoever. In fact, Hayate and I are directly across the hallway from each other. So I . . ." Shota paused when he noticed Naruto's bags in the back, "Wait . . . did you not get a room?"

Naruto shook his head before putting the vehicle in drive and steering it towards Tin Town.

"Well, that sucks, boss. First someone pulling the fire alarm last night, and now this? You better have a couple of beers and nail the wife good as soon as you get home." Hayate chimed in.

The truck's cab became silent, and Naruto could see Shota from the corner of his eye, giving the young apprentice a death glare. Perhaps, in any other situation, he would have laughed or playfully told his co-worker to mind his own business. However, he was just not in the mood for any tom-foolery at the moment. In fact, he was almost inclined to pull the truck over and tell Hayate to walk his ass to Tin Town, but instead, he bit his inner cheek and continued driving.

This isn't good . . . I haven't been this angry in, well, a long time. I know the last few weeks have been stressful, and then not even getting to make love to Hinata the previous night . . . I really need to relax these next three weeks off; then everything will be better again . . .

Or would it?

As Naruto stared down the snowy road, his mind drifted to everything that had occurred the day before. From his thoughts about Hina flirting with him to being rudely interrupted by the loud fire alarm just as his hand was slipping underneath his wife's shirt. Everyone in the hotel had to evacuate into the freezing cold night. Since no one could return to the hotel until the fire department had done a sweep-through of the entire building, most people either retreated to the Akatsuki Bar or their vehicles to keep warm.

The transformer technicians had piled into their vehicle, but Hinata sat in his truck along with Shota and Hina. Just like right now, the tension in the vehicle was so thick you could have cut it with a butter knife. Nevertheless, he gave Shota credit for trying to keep their conversations light and ongoing by asking questions about their home life, what they planned to do on days off, or shifting the conversation to himself and asking Naruto about career advice.

What rubbed him the wrong way was the smug expression Hina had been wearing in the back of the truck. By no means was he Sherlock Holmes, but even he could tell something was very suspicious with how she was acting.

And while sitting in that truck for over an hour, it gave Naruto a chance to take a long good look at himself and think about what he had been contemplating doing earlier that evening. Looking back and forth between the two women, it almost baffled him how stupid he had been.

At first, the thought had been enquiring and intriguing, but now that he was sitting next to his wife while holding her hand, the erotic fantasies he had considered with the other woman only made his skin crawl and his stomach want to hurl. If there had been a chance or room to do so, he would have slapped himself across the face and also given a shift kick into his own shin.

Why would I want to think that in the first place? What is wrong with me?

Blue eyes refocused on the road as he turned right one final time, which would take them to their destination. Naruto let out a sigh, and he couldn't help but think back to what he angrily had snarled at the clerk when she had told him that there were no rooms reserved under his name.

Check again! I've worked at this site for almost sixteen years; my name has to be in your system!

Once again, he gave himself hell for being so rude to someone who wasn't even at fault . . . but more so, it made him wonder if that was perhaps the problem he was facing.

Sixteen years . . . I've been working here for that long . . .

While some would say that it was quite an achievement, others would belittle him and say they had worked at this site even longer than that. However, for Naruto, working at the same site for that long was both impressive but also . . . gloomy.

Many years ago, he had told himself that once he and Hinata had started a family, he would try to find work closer to home. That way, he would be able to see his kids every night before they went to bed, and he would make sure that he was present in their lives for everything.

However, after all of that had happened, he was still here . . .

The last nine years, he had been in the same position and doing the exact same thing.

For the most part, that is.

Sometimes, like in the last few weeks, he would participate in other jobs or projects with Hyuuga Electric. And while those were great to do, and he did relatively enjoy his position, something was still missing.

Is that what's going on with me? Has my life become stale? Been the same for so long that I contemplate what it would be like to sleep with another woman? Is that it?

Naruto shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh.

Well, whatever this is, it's best I have another good talk with Hinata and not even think about work while I'm on vacation. But I wonder if it would be crazy to book an actual vacation away instead of just staying at home? Maybe we could take the kids to Hawaii? Or hell, maybe even go to Florida to see Disney World! That sounds like a hell of an idea, and I know the kids would love it.

Feeling a bit better, Naruto didn't even frown when they pulled into Tin Town to see that the parking lot was already packed with Hyuuga Electric vehicles for the safety meeting that would be starting in less than ten minutes. The blonde electrician stopped at the trailer's front doors and said, "You guys get out here and find a seat for the meeting. I'll park the truck and join you in a few minutes."

Neither of the electricians argued as they clambered out of the vehicle, and Naruto drove down the road a bit more to find a parking spot.

Once he accomplished that, the blonde electrician hopped out of the truck and started to jog lightly toward where everyone else was heading.

"Naruto! Hold up a minute!"

A familiar voice calling his name caused him to stop, and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or annoyed to see Gaara and Kakashi speedily walking toward him from the head trailer. So instead of giving them a cheerful greeting, he said, "Afternoon, gentleman. Are things so hectic around here that you guys forgot to reserve me a room?"

Naruto knew he was being childish and immature, but upon seeing his old friends and co-workers, the frustrations he had been trying to suppress moments ago came surging back.

Gaara flinched and looked guilty, but he couldn't read Kakashi's expression since he had his face mask up.

"Sorry about that, Naruto. We wanted to warn you sooner, but things got . . . hectic, and we didn't have the chance to." Apologized Gaara.

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, well, I'll leave my stuff at the head trailer for now, but just make sure I get a room when I return in three weeks. Now, did you guys need something, or are we going to keep freezing our buns off outside here?"

Kakashi stepped forward and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Don't worry about the meeting. Right now, there's someone that wants to speak to you inside the head trailer. You don't need to participate in this week's safety meeting; it's the same as it usually is. So uh . . . when you go talk to this person, have an open mind and think of what's best for you."

Naruto's eyebrow arched in suspicion, and his eyes darted to Gaara, who had an unreadable expression. "Okay . . . is everything alright? I'm starting to think that somebody died on site while I was away."

Gaara shook his head and placed his hand on Naruto's other shoulder, "No, nothing like that, it's just well . . . we'll talk more once you're done your own little meeting there."

And with that, the two project managers left him behind.

Naruto turned around and had the intent of asking both Gaara and Kakashi what the hell was going on, but for some reason, the words wouldn't form in his throat, and the only sound to come out was a few confused grunts before rolling his eyes and heading towards the head office trailer.

Upon opening the first door, it was completely empty, with no one to be seen in Hinata's once-old office or the desks that usually occupied Itachi and Asuma. However, before Naruto could contemplate if this was a joke or not, as the door closed behind him, a voice from the far end office caught him off guard.

"Ah, there you are, Naruto! Come in here and have a cup of coffee with me!"

The blonde electrician paused for a moment before slowly making his way to the end of the trailer while taking off his oversized jacket. Upon entering the medium-sized office, he wasn't sure whether to smile or frown upon seeing Kenji Sarutobi sitting at Gaara's desk. The older gentleman smiled and gave him a wink, "You sure know how to keep a guy waiting. Grab some java and have a seat."

Placing his coat on one of the spare chairs, Naruto hesitantly entered and took a seat across from the older Sarutobi, "I'll pass on the coffee. I've had one heck of a day and also a freezing two weeks."

Kenji nodded and placed his coffee cup down, "No worries, my friend. I think anyone who was told they didn't have a room reservation would be exasperated."

Naruto felt his body stiffen, and his eyes slowly looked up to meet Kenji's knowing gaze. "Wait a minute . . . don't tell me you were responsible for that? Is this some kind of joke, Kenji? Were you watching off in the distance and having yourself a laugh?"

Kono's older brother simply let out a heartfelt laugh, which only made the anger building in him quicken in pace. But before Naruto could ask any more questions, his friend suddenly stood up, "I know I've played the odd practical joke on you up here, but trust me when I say this isn't the case. I cancelled your room because you will no longer be needing it.

"What are you . . ."

"I need you to come directly work at the Konoha Energy Head Office in Calgary for me," Kenji said in a serious tone.

A silence fell over the office, and Naruto had to blink a few times while his brain tried to catch up, "Wait, what? The Konoha Head Office? Me?!"

Kenji nodded and slowly began to pace across the office, "I told you in New York that I would always have an opening for you there. Unfortunately, the electrical project manager with my family's company will be retiring next year, and I need to find him a replacement so that he can teach and take over his position."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, but Kenji continued before he could say anything. "However, I'm not going to lie; the first person I did ask declined. He told me that he, at the moment, didn't have any interest in working at Konoha Energy."

A sense of dismissal swept over him, and he asked, "Oh . . . I take it you're talking about Sasuke?"

While he and the younger Uchiha were very close friends, more like brothers at times, there was the odd instance where he felt inferior to the maintenance foreman.

Kenji's head cocked to the side in confusion, "Sasuke? Oh, you mean Itachi's younger brother. Why would I ask him? This certainly isn't a position in which I want someone as cold and grumpy as him."

"Kenji . . ." Naruto growled softly, with the intent of defending his best friend.

"I'm not saying the man isn't very knowledgeable or a good leader; I've heard quite a few good things about him, actually. But to be clear, the person I originally wanted for this position has always been you. However, I had to ask Uncle Asuma first because he's family and in the electrical field. But, since he declined, Grandpa said he had no problem if I went to you next."

Naruto once again felt his throat tighten, and he was suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

Was I not just thinking about this? Considering a new work position? You would think that I would be jumping for joy and telling Kenji that I would take the job without even thinking about it . . . but . . . but . . .

Naruto closed his eyes and slowly stood up, "Are you sure, Kenji? I feel honoured that you would come to ask me in person and not just ask me over the phone, or heck, be considering me at all. It's just, I . . ."

His throat tightened up again, and the words he wanted to say wouldn't come out.

Kenji smiled as if knowing what he was thinking, "Well, sixteen years is a long time to be with a company. If truth be told, I knew you wouldn't say yes to the position immediately, especially if I asked you via email or gave you a call. That's why I made sure I could see you today and talk to you in person. Konohamaru also told me that you're going on vacation here soon and spending time with your family. So let me just say this, and you can think about it while you're at home.

"The position is Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and very rarely would you work on a weekend. Maybe if it's the end of a big project that's overdue or near the end of the year where you might have to work half a day on Christmas Eve. But, with that being said, you would never work a holiday day if you choose to take the position. It pays just a little more than what you're making now, and since you would be starting out with the company, you would get at least three weeks' vacation pay in a year with your salary, which, at the maximum, goes up to 7 weeks the longer you stay with us."

The older Sarutobi took a step forward and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I'm not only asking you to take this job because you're my friend. I've seen the work you've done, the people you've interacted with, and how I get nothing but compliments from the people I have sent to work with you. I need someone who is a strong leader, has a great eye for details when looking at drawings, and someone who is a great people person. I know you mentioned Sasuke, but my twin nephews, who aren't even four, have more people skills than he does."

Naruto couldn't even grasp the thoughts and notions in his head. He honestly felt like he was drunk, and trying to speak was really difficult.

Kenji continued, "Basically, you would oversee all the electrical projects here at Konoha Energy. The position isn't easy, and there will be the odd time you would need to fly up here to do a walk-down when a project is beginning or coming to an end. However, I know a full-time office job isn't something you wanted to do right away, but I think you should at least give this position a chance.

"I talked to Kakashi and Gaara about it, and while they were hesitant, they did say I could steal you for the month of March. So, just come and give the job a chance and see what our man Hagoromo has been doing. He and my grandpa are great friends, and I have a feeling you'll get along with him quite well. So, what do you say? I understand if you want to think about it for a bit or even talk it over with Hinata, but if you could let me know sooner than later, I would greatly appreciate it. Do you have any questions about the job?"

It took Naruto a minute or two to finally put a coherent sentence in his head before he asked, "So . . . basically what you're saying is, I would become the person that Kakashi and Gaara report to?"

Kenji smirked, "Yes, and work along with them as well."

Naruto nodded and glanced down at the floor.

"Look, I'm not trying to guilt trip you here, but let me ask you this. Your son, Boruto, he's almost six years old?"

"Five and a half," Naruto answered softly.

"And your little girls, I want you to think about them too. But it's your son that I want you to focus on for the most part here. Right now, he's just a little boy. However, there will come a time when he will need his father around to show him how to be a man. And YOU . . ." Kenji gripped his shoulder a little more tightly, ". . . need to be there for him. I know you love your job with Hyuuga Electric. It's also a safe haven for you because your wife's family owns the company.

"Kenji . . ."

"Hear me out. And while I'm sure they could also find you a nice, cozy office job, I get a sense that you wouldn't feel you earned that position. You would feel as if it was handed over to you without having to work for it. Which, if you're fine with that, then you do what you gotta do. However, I'm talking to you here and now because I want YOU to work for my family's company. I need someone in this position who already knows most of the electrical at Konoha Energy. I need someone I can trust and know will do the job right and not slack off.

"While I could ask Gaara and Kakashi as well, they already do one hell of a job here, like a well-oiled machine, and I don't want to mess around with that. Plus, Konohamaru isn't ready for that kind of position yet. I need him to get more experience out here so he can join you in that department when the time comes. The job Hagoromo does right now can be very overwhelming at times, and we have offered to hire a second person to help him, but he's refused every time. And while that may be alright for the time being, our oilfield site is growing each year. Soon it will be too much for one person to handle, both the maintenance of what is already built and the new projects that have yet to come. This is why, if you take the position, in a few years, Kono will join you, and I know the two of you will make a formidable team within the company.

"But that also means you will be officially off the tools, be in an office, and you won't be out in any of the elements anymore; if it's raining or below freezing, you'll be inside a warm and comfy. I know you want to stay loyal to Hyuuga Electric, but this is a position you've earned, and if I have to bribe you a little bit more to work for Konoha Energy, I won't be afraid to do it. So just think about what I said and let me know when you can on your decision."

Kenji finally released his shoulder, which was beginning to hurt, and he took a few steps back, "Well, I'd better head back to the site airport now. Let me know what your vacation schedule looks like, and maybe yours, mine and Kono's family can have dinner together."

Questions and even more questions were swirling around in his head, but he just couldn't seem to ask any of them, and his knees were beginning to feel weak. Finally, his friend gave him a last nod and smile before heading toward one of the exits. A part of him just wanted that to be the end of their conversation, but a little voice in his head told him not to let Kenji leave just yet.

"K-Kenji, wait!" Naruto stuttered out.

The older Sarutobi turned around and gave him a pondering look.

"I-I need to talk to you a little bit more, but it's about something personal." The reminiscences of what had happened over the last twenty-four hours returned to him, and Naruto couldn't think of a better candidate to talk to about it, other than Kenji. The man was practically like an older brother to him at this point since his trip to New York. If there was ever an issue or problem in his married life, he always found himself contacting the man before him. "I don't want to talk about it here; I'm afraid someone will overhear the conversation. But maybe we could meet for drinks when I get home, or . . ."

Kenji laughed softly, "Well if that's the case, grab your luggage now and toss it in the back of my truck. You can ride and fly with me back home right now. We'll have the plane to ourselves, and over a can of beer, you can tell me what's going on with your and Hinata's marriage this time."

Naruto's eyes widened, "How did you know that . . . never mind. But just like that? Shouldn't I tell Kakashi and Gaara what's happening and that I'm leaving?"

Kenji snorted, "Oh, don't worry about those two. I know Gaara is responsible, but I would be a rich man if I had a penny for every time Kakashi left work early. So I'm sure it's no big deal if you do it this one time. Now get your ass in gear, and let's get going."

00000000000

Hinata bustled around her kitchen while also trying to keep a watchful eye on her three children, who were currently playing in the living room. Boruto and Himawari were trying to colour while also helping their younger sister Himiko with her creative drawings of mostly lines and squiggles.

As she opened the fridge, her pale eyes scanned the contents that were inside to see if there was anything salvageable that she could use to make a decent supper out of. But unfortunately, her mother-in-law had used everything while she had been gone, and at this very moment, Hinata was not in the mood to head out to any grocery store.

Sighing to herself, she stepped over to the small folder of the take-out menu's that they had handy for anytime Hinata didn't feel like cooking a meal, which happened only seldomly.

As Hinata slowly looked through each menu and contemplated what she could order tonight, a knock at the front door suddenly caught her full attention.

I'm not expecting anyone right now. I wonder who it could be.

Boruto and Himawari watched her curiously as she approached the door while the youngest continued colouring on her piece of paper. When she turned the knob, two faces she had not been expecting to see were smiling at her.

"Ah, Sakura! And Sarada too! What brings you two into the neighbourhood?" Hinata asked while taking a step back and opening the door wider.

Her pink-haired friend smiled brightly while holding her little girl's hand, "Well, we were on our way to the airport to pick up Daddy, but at the last minute, he got put on a later flight. So, since we were already on our way and kind of in the area, I figured we would stop by for a visit! Sorry I didn't call ahead of time; it was a quick decision on my part!"

After taking off their winter clothes, Sarada immediately ran over to play with the other three kids while Sakura followed her into the kitchen.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Tea? Apple Cider?"

Sakura took a seat at one of the bar stools, "An Apple Cider would be amazing right now. So, how are things with you these days? Naruto still working his butt off like my husband is?"

The two women chatted casually while Hinata prepared their drinks. They were talking about the part-time work they would occasionally do, their kid's activities and how things were going as married women. Eventually, the two friends sat at the top of the staircase, where they could keep a bird's eye view of their children but also have enough privacy to talk about things they didn't want little ears to listen in on.

"At the beginning of March, Sasuke is going to be changing his shift schedule," Sakura said quietly before taking a sip of her beverage.

"Oh?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Instead of two weeks on and one week off, it's going to be four weeks on and one week off."

Hinata frowned, not only from the news that Sasuke wouldn't be at home as much for his family but the tone that Sakura said it in was outright heartbreaking. She placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, "And how do you feel about it?"

Sakura let out a trembling breath before closing her eyes, "I don't like it at all, if I'm being frank. I hate that he's going to be gone for such a long time, and he doesn't even seem to be phased by it. As if . . . he doesn't care that he'll be away from our only daughter and me."

Hinata bit her lip, and her pale violet eyes shifted over to the four children playing together. She wasn't sure about all the details, but from discussions with Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke was dead on only having one child. While she knew that Sakura, at one point, had the desire to have more, her husband had made it abundantly clear that it was one and done for their family.

Naruto once told me that the relationship between Itachi and Sasuke was very rocky at times, especially in their early childhood. Sasuke was always being compared to his older brother. So I can maybe see why he wouldn't want the same thing for Sarada if they were to have another.

Sakura took a long sip of her drink before stating, "I know that he is very passionate about his job and is very particular about how it has to be done. They've offered to hire him a helper so that it isn't so much work, but so far, Neji has told me that he refuses every time and says he can handle it."

Hinata's gaze fell back onto her friend, "Have you tried talking to him about it? I could maybe understand if it was a temporary shift, like for a few months. But, if it's permanent, I have a feeling that it might start putting a strain on your marriage."

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, "I've tried before, but it always ends up with us arguing. Sasuke always says that he's doing what's best for our family and that I need to be at home to raise Sarada. Which I completely understand, but we need him to be there too. I sometimes feel like a single mother with a father who only shows up once a month to see his kid. But I know that's not actually the case. Sasuke cares for Sarada so much, but I just wish he would be around more for her, for me . . . for us."

Tears slipped down Sakura's cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away while bowing her head so that Hinata and none of the children could see that she was on the verge of crying. Then, she scooted closer to her friend and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, "I know Sasuke isn't as . . . naïve as my husband can be at times, but I also know that you sometimes aren't the best at communicating with how you feel."

Sakura stiffened a little, but Hinata continued.

"You need to be more direct with him and tell him exactly how you feel. Don't play word games or hint at what you want; tell him that you want him home more often. Or, if that's not on the table, you need to bargain with him about spending some holiday time with you and Sarada. I don't always like it when Naruto works long shifts. However, like this time, for example, he worked a three-week shift and is now going to take a short, relaxing vacation with us at home."

While Sakura did still keep her head down, she let out a small sniffle before wiping her eyes again, "Yeah . . . yeah, I know. Sometimes I'm not the best at communicating what I want, especially regarding my husband. When I want specific things from him, I just felt lucky enough to have him as my partner and have a daughter with him that I'm afraid to ask for anything more."

A comfortable silence fell over the two friends, who just enjoyed watching the children move on from colouring to playing with the blocks and Legos. Boruto immediately dumped out the entire box, and Hinata flinched at the sound of every single Lego block hitting the floor. She sighed and prayed to anyone listening that later on, she would be able to find them all and not step on a rogue one.

"So . . . now that I've gotten that off my chest, how are things with you and Naruto?" Sakura asked softly.

Hinata paused, and she looked down at her drink.

How are we? I want to say that we're fine, but . . . after last night. I'm not so sure anymore. Was it really nothing like he said? Or is something else going on?

"Maybe? I'm not sure."

Sakura's eyebrow arched in suspicion, "Uh oh. What did that idiot do this time?"

Hinata sighed and gave her friend an irritated look; she wasn't a fan when anyone called her husband an 'idiot' or 'moron', but she continued anyway, "I met with him last night at the hotel, you know, the one by the Akatsuki bar."

"Ah, the one that keeps getting its name changed every two years. Alright, so were you expecting things to get hot and heavy between you two, and it didn't happen?"

She shook her head, "Well, things were about to, but then someone pulled the fire alarm."

Sakura let out a small laugh, "Oh, I'm sure Naruto was pleased about that. And you guys had to wait in the cold vehicles for the fire department. I could see that putting a damper on the romantic mood."

"Yes, but it was what we were discussing beforehand that has me concerned."

It was now the ex-safety coordinator's turn to scoot closer to her, "Go on."

"Naruto admitted to me that he had been having thoughts about sleeping with one of his co-workers."

"HE WHAT!?" Sakura shouted while suddenly standing up, and all the children looked at them with wide, worried eyes.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the living room. Hinata was still sitting with a panicked look on her face, contemplating what to say next with Sakura standing over her.

"Mama, is everything okay?" Sarada finally asked.

"E-Everything is fine, children! I was just telling Auntie Sakura a story about my father! Nothing to worry about; everything is fine!" Hinata attempted to smooth things over and started grasping Sakura's hand to pull her back down to sit on the step.

"I'm going to kill him . . ." Sakura muttered angrily, her eyes full of fire.

"Sakura, please! Keep your voice down!" Hinata whispered, but her gaze was still locked in the living room where her son was eyeing them suspiciously.

"He admitted this to you?"

Hinata sighed and quietly explained what had occurred over the last few weeks. From Naruto heading off to do a remote two-week job, her one-week excursion with the other technicians, to meeting her husband at the hotel and all that had transpired there. While Sakura didn't interrupt, Hinata could tell that her friend was still rather upset, and the scowl on her face never wavered.

At the time, Hinata had just chalked up Naruto's confession to be one of curiosity. However, she had been the only woman he had ever been with, so was it wrong for him to be inquisitive about what being with another woman was like?

I feel like I'm reading too much into this. Naruto never actually said that he wanted to sleep with Hina, just that he had thought about it briefly when she was flirting with him. I can't condemn him for that. We promised each other over three years ago that we would communicate if something was ever wrong in our marriage. I should be glad that he was honest with me and . . .

"So, this other woman. Does he work with her a lot?" Sakura asked cautiously.

Hinata paused and tried to remember what Naruto had told her last night, "No. This job was the first time. Normally, he sees her the odd time at camp or at the safety meetings."

Sakura only nodded and finished drinking her apple cider.

Before Hinata could say anything, her phone began buzzing in her pocket. She pulled out the electronic device to see that she had a new message from Naruto.

Plane just landed; not sure when we will get to the gate though. I was going to grab a case of beer for tonight. Would you like anything? I Can't wait to see you and the kids! Love you

Hinata smiled upon reading her darling's words, but before she could respond, her eyes caught Sakura giving her a sideways glance, anger still dancing behind her green eyes.

"You're not worried about this?" Sakura asked softly.

"I-I um . . . I don't think so. I can't deny that it does bother me a little bit, but at the same time, I'm glad he told me, and we talked it out."

Sakura sighed, "That's true, I suppose. I know Sasuke always has girls constantly flirting with him, but that bugger never told me about it. It wasn't until I got to looking at his phone and seeing messages from countless women trying to get a hold of him.

Hinata froze, but Sakura gave her a light nudge.

"It's nothing like that. Sasuke isn't cheating. In fact, when I asked him about it, he wasn't upset or mad at me. He just said that he found all the messages annoying and always deleted them immediately. His rationalization was that he didn't want to make me worry about that sort of thing, so he never said anything." Sakura sighed softly before continuing, "I understand, but at the same time, I'm also mad that he didn't tell me, which adds to my frustration and anxiety about him working longer shifts. What if while he's gone for four weeks, he gets lonely and seeks someone else's attention because I'm not there?"

"Sakura . . ."

Hinata watched as her friend bent her head down before whispering, "I get jealous really easily with him . . . and yet, I don't want him to see that ugly side of me. I don't want to be a nagging and overbearing wife who always wants to look at his phone, ask who he's with, or complain about him working too much. I haven't worked these last four years since I've been looking after Sarada and taking care of our home. He never complains if I spend too much money on groceries or if I buy myself a new outfit or take a day for myself and get a massage.

"He trusts me. And I do trust him; I really do . . . it's those fucking other bitches that I don't trust. That one day, he's going to have his guard down, and some, some tramp is going to take advantage of that."

Ah . . . maybe that's it. Perhaps that's what has me so uneasy right now. I'm not too fond of Naruto going back to Konoha Energy where Hina is working, or him working away for long periods of time. I've tried to support him and tell him that everything is fine, but now I wish . . .

Sakura's hands fisted together tightly, "But that is something completely out of my control, and I can't do anything about it. All I can do . . . is trust in my husband. Believe that he won't do anything like that, and wait for him faithfully to come home."

She's right . . . that's really all we can do. But I don't want Naruto to see this ugly side of me, either.

Hinata sighed and finished drinking the rest of her apple cider.

The children were once again playing and paying no attention to the two of them. Her pale eyes briefly shifted to the large clock in the living room. It was just after 2 pm, and if everything went smoothly with her husband, he would be home just before 4 pm.

I'm sure he'll be really tired once he walks through the door. So I'll make sure that after he says hello to the children, he can briefly escape for a shower. Then I can order supper for us all, and he'll play with the kids, then I can prep their baths for their bedtime routine and . . .

Routine.

Hinata stiffened slightly at the sudden epiphany she was experiencing.

While things were happy and great between herself and Naruto, the last three years had been primarily routinish. He would always work the same shift and hours, come home to their family, spend time with the kids, and then have supper. Once all the little ones were put to bed, the two of them would give each other the 'come hither look' before silently retreating downstairs where they would do the devil's tango in one of the spare bedrooms. She was still very hesitant to make love in their master bedroom since it was so close to the children's sleeping quarters. Usually, their lovemaking would take place in different parts of the house where little ears couldn't hear them.

Not that there's anything wrong with the routine that we follow . . . but perhaps Naruto is getting a little bored with it, and maybe he doesn't realize it?

Hinata bit her lip. She knew that her husband still teased her about the times they had had sex in public places; the zoo, the classroom at the trade school, and her office. But, while he always brought it up with the notion to tease her, there was always a look in his eye or tone of his voice that told her it was simply more than that.

He gets really excited talking about those scandalous times. I know he's pestered me that we need to do it again in my office, but . . . that's just out of the question! We were almost discovered by Neji last time when the security guard saw our vehicles! There's no way we could get away with it again. But even so . . . perhaps that's what is going on. Maybe I need to spice things up with Naruto and remind him of the moments we shared together in the past.

"You alright, Hinata?" Sakura asked, placing a hand on her shoulder again.

"I-I am. An idea just sort of came to me, and maybe this is something we can do for our husbands. Maybe we just need to shake up our 'wifely' routines a bit and show them why they fell in love with us in the first place." Hinata muttered as a blush slowly spread across her cheeks.

Sakura's eyebrow arched in curiosity, "Interesting idea. Go on."

0000000000

Naruto couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips while sitting in the heavy rush hour traffic. He had left the airport over an hour ago, stopped at a few stores and was now trying to get home to his family. His blue eyes shifted off the stationary vehicles ahead of him to his phone sitting in the cup holder.

While there were no new messages from his wife, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The last text she had sent him was asking which restaurant or fast food diner he preferred they get supper from tonight. He had been so looking forward to a home-cooked meal, but he understood that she was also exhausted and didn't want to leave the warm house to go grocery shopping.

I certainly didn't want to get out of my truck while getting the few items that I did . . . but on the other hand, I'm the one that's been a complete asshole to her. And I need to make it right with Hinata.

Knowing that his wife wasn't the biggest fan of seafood, which was what he was craving at this very moment, he made sure to suggest her favourite pizza place. He also had offered to pick up her favourite sake, along with a bouquet of white lilies and a box of cinnamon rolls.

However, the guilt he was feeling made it seem like the small gifts weren't enough. Naruto was almost tempted to make a few more stops, like Tiffany's for a diamond necklace. Perhaps, if he got a few more gifts for his wife, then the remorse he was dealing with would finally go away, but deep down, he knew that wasn't the case.

Hinata.

The love of his life, the mother of his children and best friend, was not one to lavish or swoon over materialistic things. Instead, she preferred gifts such as kind words and gestures from the heart.

I don't care if it kills me tomorrow. I'm going to set up ten alarms to get my butt out of bed early, make sure she gets to sleep in, make a good breakfast for the kids and take them out for the afternoon. I know Hinata would probably love just a day to herself.

Naruto gently stepped on the gas pedal as his truck barely moved forward before pressing the break again and once more coming to a standstill in the grid-locked traffic. While he was trying to run through and plan all the positive things he would do with his wife and children, Naruto couldn't help but also remind himself why he wanted to do this in the first place.

His conversation with Kenji on the airplane had not gone as well as he had expected. The older Sarutobi had listened to him vent and explain what had transpired over the last twenty-four hours without interrupting. However, when he had finished, Kenji had seemed strangely quiet. Usually, the man would come up with a smart wit comment, tease Naruto for being an idiot, and then spiel out a life-changing statement about life and marriage.

However . . .

"Well, I will give you this, Naruto; you took a normal situation and turned it into a complete fucking nightmare. However, since Hinata is a saint and has pretty much forgiven you on the spot, just count your blessings, apologize to her for the next six months for how much of an idiot you were, and pray to god she'll have sex with you ever again."

Naruto flinched slightly at the angry tone Kenji was using.

"B-but I thought I was doing the right thing. I-I was just communicating with her what was going on in my head, and I . . ."

Kenji rolled his eyes, "Alright then, how about this? If Hinata told you, 'Hey Honey, there's this guy on my crew that I'm working with right now, he's been flirting with me, and I'm having these thoughts of what it would be like to have sex with him.' Are you telling me you wouldn't get mad? Offended? Feel hurt that she thought about sleeping with someone else?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Now listen here . . . is it typical to think things like that? Absolutely. It's completely normal. I've only ever been with my wife, Arisa, my whole life. I met her back in High School, and we even spent some time together in college while she was taking business, and I was in the trades. She is the only woman I have ever known. But do I sometimes wonder what it would be like to sleep with another woman whom I've found attractive or who flirts with me? Of course! All committed men do! It's a curious thought that you can't help but think about from time to time!

"But! And this is a huge but here, you don't tell your wife about it when the woman you were briefly and hypothetically thinking about banging is just down the hall! How the hell do you think that made Hinata feel? I'm sure she felt great that if she hadn't shown up at the hotel, her husband could have possibly fucked another woman!"

Kenji suddenly stood up, and Naruto couldn't help but cringe as if he was about to be struck. However, Kono's older brother simply tossed his can of beer into the recycle bin and grabbed another one.

"What you do is, you think about your little fantasy for maybe five minutes, but then you let it go. If you want to mention it or talk it over with your wife, wait until you get home, you've had some alone time with her, and then bring it up. I know that you have a great marriage and a fantastic family. Sure, there are a few ups and downs, but at the end of the day, you're glad you married her, right? And started a family with her?"

"Y-yes! O-of course I am!" Naruto stuttered out. With the way Kenji was yelling at him, he was almost surprised that none of the flight crew were poking their head in to check on them.

"We all sometimes wonder what life is like on the other side of the fence, Naruto. What would have happened if I had done this? What would have occurred if I did that? It's practically human nature. However, you went about it wrong and talked it over with Hinata like that."

"B-but I was just being honest with her!"

"Which is fine! It's great that you were truthful with your wife, but you also, after years of marriage with her, don't understand the concept of timing! There is a time and a place for these types of conversations! And quite frankly, you picked the shittiest one."

Naruto bit his lip and ran a trembling hand through his short blonde hair while trying to figure out what Kenji was implying.

"Allow me to spell it out for you. What you should have done, is not mentioned this Hina girl at all while your wife was right beside you in that hotel and. . ."

"But she could tell! Hinata could almost tell immediately that there was something wrong!"

Kenji rolled his eyes, "Jesus fucking Christ man, tell her you're not ready to talk about it yet! You could have just said you missed her and the kids terribly and that while something did happen, you didn't want to talk about it yet. I know that Hinata would have understood!"

Now Naruto was standing on his feet and starting to get angry, "I didn't want to tell her right away! I honestly didn't! But Hinata is so . . . observant, especially when it comes to me. She can immediately tell when something is wrong, and either she voices her concerns or acts on instinct and does something to make me feel better. I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but she knew something was wrong; I told her what happened, and she . . . she forgave me. She understood where I was coming from."

The two of them were almost glaring at each other now, neither wanting to sit back down in their seats.

"Regardless, what's done is done, and thankfully your wife has forgiven you. If I had done something that stupid with Arisa, she would have hanged my ass out to dry for at least a month or two. So is that all you wanted to say? You know that you screwed up, were you just wanting confirmation from me?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "No. No, I know I fucked up big time. But that's not the point I was trying to make. I just don't understand why I was having those thoughts in the first place."

It was Kenji's turn to let out a tired sigh before he fell back down into his seat and cracked open another beer, "I told you, it's normal to have these kinds of feelings."

"Yeah, I get that, but Kenji, you have no idea how much I was seriously starting to think about it. I was calculating who would know about it and even contemplated texting Hina back. Had Hinata not contacted me at that very moment, I don't know what I would have done. I don't know if it's because I was so lonely that I would have risked my marriage and family life . . . or if maybe I'm unconsciously bored of Hinata? Or if I . . ."

"Stop. Just stop right there, Naruto."

Naruto paused and closed his eyes. Once again, he could see the smiling faces of his wife and children behind his closed lids. The thought of those faces being ripped away from him made his heart clench and unshed tears burn in his eyes.

"Look. I'm not a psychiatrist here, but I am a friend. And judging from what you have told me so far and even what we talked about in the Hyuuga Electric trailer back there, I have a couple of questions for you. First, do you and Hinata still have a healthy sex life?"

Naruto nodded.

"Good. Do you guys still go on date nights once a month?

Again he nodded.

"Same place?"

Naruto paused but gave a slow nod.

"I see. And when was the last time you took a good vacation? I don't mean time off when you're just lounging at home, but went somewhere out of the city?"

"Um . . . probably not since our Honeymoon to Cancun in Mexico."

Now it was Kenji's turn to nod his head, "Alright, alright. So let me ask if this sounds about right . . . you, for the last sixteen years, you've been working for the same company, minus the time you worked for Sennin Electric and travelled the world. So you, your wife and your kids have been doing the same routine for almost nine years since you got married and have done nothing exciting. Would that be about accurate?"

"Hey, we have done some exciting things!" Naruto growled in an attempt to defend his wife and children.

Kenji huffed, "You know what I mean, Naruto. I'm not saying that your life is boring, but what I am trying to imply is that you need to shake things up a bit! While you're off, have a date weekend with your wife. No kids for 48 hours; let it just be the two of you for the next few nights. Seriously, when was the last time you guys made love in your master bedroom? Probably not since Boruto was a little baby. Also, you guys need to get out of the city and travel somewhere! I'm starting to think maybe that's the reason you are so hung up over this. Your life has gotten so routine that the thought of an affair sparked a bit of interest in you.

"So here's what you're going to do. When we get off this plane, you'll get a few gifts for your wife. Then you're going to go home back to your family and thank any gods listening that you have a loving and understanding partner. You're going to treat her like a goddess and pretty much do whatever the heck she wants for the next few days. After that, you gotta do something that sparks excitement and interest in your soul, my man. Go on a ski trip with your wife! Get on a plane with your family and take them to Disney World; take them somewhere new and out of the city! Just step up your game a little bit more!"

Naruto wanted to defend his wife and family, say that they did do new and exciting things, but deep down, he knew that wasn't true. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten on a plane or driven somewhere that wasn't for work. Sure, they had stayed in the area and done fun activities or gone to festivals in the summertime, but it was always the same.

"And on top of that, I highly suggest you have a good talk with your wife about if she still wants you working away. If Hinata is anything like my wife, she's probably been holding in her feelings and not telling you exactly what's on her mind."

He opened his eyes and looked directly at Kenji, "Not tell me what? Are you saying that Hinata has been lying to me?"

Kenji took a long sip of his beer, "I didn't say that, but don't just dance around the subject or believe her when she says that she supports you one hundred percent with whatever it is you do. She's been at home, alone, without you trying to raise three little children without you around. Are you trying to tell me that she's okay with that, and so are you?

A car blaring its horn behind him snapped Naruto out of his daze. He suddenly realized that traffic had started to move a little bit faster, and he quickly stepped on the gas to keep up with the crowd. However, while his one hand steered the truck, the other ran over his face as he physically felt ashamed for what had been going on lately between him, Hinata and their family.

Listening to Kenji's lecturing and taking a long good hard look at himself, Naruto realized that he hadn't been giving his personal life the full attention it needed. As an electrician, he exceeded to be the best worker, the most supportive boss to the other sparkies, and he put in more than enough time and effort to make sure jobs got done on time. In his personal life, on the other hand, it seemed as if he had only been putting in an average effort. While things certainly weren't as bad between him and Hinata as they had been three and a half years ago, there were some things that he needed to improve on immensely.

At first, it was almost too easy to put some of the blame on his wife. Whenever he was home for days off, she seemed to still shoulder the entire responsibility of the house, taking care of the chores, kids and reminding him that he just needed to relax, which he had embraced wholeheartedly and not argued with her at all. He had simply just accepted that he was meant to relax and only really tried to play with the children when it was most convenient for him. If things became too complicated or if Himawari was upset that her little sister had taken her doll, he never really got involved with the bickering. Almost always, Hinata would step in and deal with the problem.

Naruto knew that wasn't right.

On holiday or not, he was still the other parent, and while he did step up to the plate the odd time, deep down, he knew that he needed to improve his game a lot more.

I didn't mean to slack off or get stuck in this repetitive routine when it came to my family . . . but now, I need to fix it as soon as possible.

Finally, the answer to what was causing the traffic jam came to light when he saw a car in the far left lane broken down and taking up two lanes. He couldn't help but sigh with relief when he was able to push the gas pedal down and cruise at an average speed.

Taking the route he knew off by heart, Naruto soon found himself driving into the garage of his family home. A huge smile was already plastered on his face upon seeing the smiling faces of his children waving at him from the main living room window when he pulled up to the house. As his truck came to a stop and the garage door slid down to block out the cold winter winds, his blue eyes glanced at the presents sitting on the seat. At first, he wanted to grab them and give them to Hinata immediately, but, on the other hand, there were three little ones that deserved his attention first.

Stepping out of the vehicle, he immediately walked to the door that would take him out to the main hallway. Just as he pushed it open and intended to inform the household that he was home, Naruto was almost knocked over by three charging little figures.

"DADDY!"

Their small, high-pitched voices were music to his ears. Boruto was clinging around his mid-section while Himawari had jumped up to latch onto one of his arms. Meanwhile, little Himiko had grabbed onto his right leg.

"We missed you, daddy!"

"Can we go sledding tomorrow? Please? Pretty please?"

"Papa . . .papa's home."

Once again, his heart began to clench, but for a completely different reason this time. The sensation of his children hugging him and hearing their little voices express how much they missed and loved him made the electrician almost crack. His throat tightened, and Naruto had to close his eyes to stop the tears from slipping down his cheeks. Then, feeling his knees begin to buckle, he knelt down and scooped all three of the Uzumaki children into his arms.

"I'm home guys. I'm finally home." Naruto softly choked.

Time seemed to stand still, and Naruto wasn't sure how long he knelt there on the floor holding his little ones. However, the tender moment was interrupted when Hinata gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome home, darling. Would you like to have a shower first? I've ordered pizza for us all, but let me know what you want to have tomorrow so that when I go grocery shopping, I can make your . . ."

He didn't give his wife a chance to finish.

Gently releasing their children, he stood up in a flash and wrapped his arms tightly around the woman in front of him. Hinata let out a little squeak of surprise, but before she could voice any questions, Naruto leaned down, and his mouth enveloped hers in a soft yet tender, fervent kiss.

Even though he had seen her less than twenty-four hours ago, the moment their lips touched, a shiver ran across his entire form. Had it not been for the little ones gathered at their feet, Naruto would have gladly lifted Hinata up into his arms and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. However, there would be plenty of time to be passionate with his wife later.

Reluctantly, Naruto gently pulled away from his wife. He met her eyes with a hooded gaze, and both of their cheeks were red from the brief, small intimate gesture.

"I'm home, dear." He whispered before pressing a light, loving kiss on her cheek.

His wife's blush intensified a bit more, and he couldn't help but chuckle when all Hinata could do to respond to him was nod her head.

Again, his wife offered for him to have a shower, but he politely declined. Perhaps if the children hadn't been pulling on his arms to play lego with them, he would have taken his wife up on her generous offer.

The rest of the evening seemed to pass by him in a blur. Most of the time, he spent it playing and watching TV with Boruto, Himawari and Himiko. A few times, Hinata offered him a break, but he refused each time and told her he would relax more once the children were in bed. Once it became apparent that he wasn't going to budge on his decision, he noticed that his wife started to focus more of her attention on the house, whether it be vacuuming the floors, sorting the laundry or prepping plates, utensils, and cups for their take-out supper.

As Naruto sat on the couch while watching Paw Patrol with his children, he started to wonder if this was something he wanted to do every night with them.

Heh, that's such a stupid question . . . why did I even try to think about it?

Boruto snuggled closer to him and asked once again if they could go sledding tomorrow. He couldn't help but chuckle softly before telling his oldest that it would depend on the weather before he could agree to take them all outside.

"But, even if the weather is terrible, we will still do something fun. Maybe go swimming at the recreational center, the one with all the water slides."

His little boy's blue eyes lit up, and once again, Naruto felt as if he was looking in the mirror at a version of his younger self. Even his two little girls started to become excited with the anticipation of doing something fun tomorrow with their father. Briefly, the children quieted down to listen in on the show they were watching, and suddenly the thought of leaving his family behind made Naruto's chest tighten with anxiety.

I don't want to leave them behind anymore . . . I'm tired of leaving these three behind and working so far away from them . . .

Suddenly, he was finding it difficult to breathe, and his throat felt dry and parched.

"I'll be right back, you guys," Naruto said softly, "I'm just going to get a glass of water."

The children acknowledged him briefly before he got up and headed toward the kitchen. With his back to the living room, Naruto closed his eyes and tried to take a few calming breaths. He could feel his body begin to tremble from not feeling the warmth of his children beside him.

Over six years ago, when he first found out that Hinata was pregnant with Boruto, he had promised himself and his wife that he would try and find work closer to home. However . . . Naruto couldn't remember if he had simply slacked off and stopped looking or if he was just too comfortable with his position to want to change it.

He slumped over and rested his elbows on the kitchen island, releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

What do they think when I walk out the door every time? Do they understand that I'm working hard for them . . . or do they believe that I'm abandoning them . . .

Shaking his head, Naruto tried to push down the adverse emotions flooding over him and focused on grabbing a glass of water. While he was distracted momentarily, the second his eyes fell back on the children, his throat tightened once again. As he watched them from afar, it suddenly dawned on him that while he had been away, he had missed so much of their lives. Moments that he could not remember seeing but only witnessing on the screen of his phone when Hinata was lucky enough to catch milestones on her phone.

The time Boruto started walking for the first time . . .

Himawari's first words . . .

Himiko using utensils . . .

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto averted his eyes downwards before he became more emotional.

"Naruto?" A soft voice said beside him.

He nearly jumped a foot off the ground at the sudden presence of his wife standing next to him. She had a basket of laundry secured to her hip and a worried expression on her face. Her soft fingers gently came up to caress his cheek out of concern.

"Are you okay?"

A part of him wanted to tell Hinata that he was perfectly fine and that there was nothing to worry about, but he also knew that his wife would be able to tell that he wasn't being truthful . . .

Naruto cleared his throat and quietly responded, "I'll talk to you about it later. Do you want me to take that upstairs for you? I should probably get out of these clothes at least."

While it was an excuse to have a few minutes of alone time so he could compose himself, he really did need to change out of the clothes he had been wearing since 7 am.

"Well, I would greatly appreciate it if you could put this on our bed. I'll fold it later, but since the children are distracted, I was going to vacuum the entertainment area quickly." Hinata said hesitantly.

Naruto tried to smile and gently took the basket of clothes from her, "I don't mind at all. I'll be right back."

Hinata nodded her thanks but still gave him a worried look as he headed towards the stairs.

Trying to act as if everything was normal, he quickly climbed up the steps toward the bedroom he shared with his wife. He tried to focus on setting the laundry hamper down on their bed, but the moment he reached the top, his eyes fell on the large wedding portrait.

Naruto momentarily froze.

His blue eyes drank in one of his happiest days before swallowing the lump in his throat and slowly making his way to the master bedroom. As always, their room was tidy, and everything was in place. Naruto gritted his teeth as he scanned the other pictures and trinkets that decorated their room, each one reminding him of more joyful days.

Souvenirs from their trip to Honolulu and Cancun, more pictures of their wedding, countless photo albums that held pictures from them first dating, the births of their children, and so much more.

Gently he placed the laundry basket on the bed and took a seat on the thick comforter. His hands slowly moved across the material, remembering how safe and loved he felt in their bed . . . from making love to his wife to just holding Hinata as they slept peacefully.

And yet how many lonely nights has she spent in this bed without me? How many nights wishing that I was back home with her? How many nights perhaps wishing she had married someone else who would . . .

The last thought he pondered felt like a knife being stabbed and twisted into his chest.

Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head while he gripped his hair tightly.

I'm an idiot . . . I'm such a fucking idiot . . . how the hell does Hinata put up with me?

Gritting his teeth, he finally stood up and changed out of his work clothes.

0000000000

Over the next few hours, the Uzumaki household was extremely loud with the laughter of children and adults while having supper, to the loud little screams of kids being chased around the house naked after their bath. However, things slowly started to calm down once they were in their pyjamas and sitting on the couch to watch a final show for the evening with a small snack.

Himiko was the first to fall asleep, and Naruto watched with a gratified smile as he watched Hinata carry their youngest to her bedroom. Within the next few minutes, it was his turn to escort Boruto and Himawari to their rooms while holding them in his arms up the stairs.

He tucked in Himawari first before turning his attention to the eldest child, ensuring that the dinosaur blanket Boruto had covered his small form.

"You promise we'll do something fun tomorrow?" Boruto asked softly.

Naruto smiled and gently kissed his son on the forehead, "I promise."

A few stories were read, and then Naruto quietly stepped out of the kid's bedrooms, softly shutting the door behind him. He took a few steps away from the door and rested his back against the wall in the hallway. While he was positive that all the kids were asleep, he remained motionless while listening carefully for the slightest sound that something was amiss.

After a solid minute, Naruto sighed with relief and headed downstairs, knowing Hinata would be waiting for him.

Since they had ordered take-out, the cleanup in the kitchen had been swift. By the time his sock feet hit the bottom of the stairs, Naruto was not only impressed to see that the kitchen was clean but also the dining and living room. The main level was quite dim, with light only coming from the tiny bulb above the stove and the street lamps from outside.

His blue eyes immediately found Hinata standing in front of the living room window, staring attentively at the street their house resided on.

Silently he approached her, although he was positive that she had seen his reflection in the window since she didn't flinch when his arms wrapped around her waist. Naruto pulled her against him, and he rested his chin on top of her head. He held her form tightly and breathed in her natural scent, which immediately caused the electrician to relax; almost forgetting the troubles that were plaguing his mind.

"All good?" Hinata asked softly as she leaned against him.

"Yeah, they're all asleep right now."

"Good."

A comfortable silence fell over the couple, relishing the moment and holding onto each other as they gazed out into the cold, quiet streets outside. Naruto couldn't help but close his eyes and tighten his arms around the woman he loved more than life itself.

"You know . . . I have a few gifts for you in the truck. I didn't want the kids to see them, so I left them on the front seat." Naruto whispered into his wife's hair.

"You didn't have to do that, Naruto."

He kissed Hinata's temple, "Of course I did. I wanted to show you how much you mean to me. I know I've been inconsiderate lately and wanted to make it up to you."

Hinata stiffened a little in his embrace, and he could feel her head turn to look at him.

"Naruto . . ."

"I'm sorry." He whispered desperately, "I'm so sorry for what happened back at the hotel. I'm sorry for not stepping up and helping you more. I'm sorry that I've left you . . ."

His wife twisted around in his tight embrace, and Naruto was momentarily frightened that she was trying to pull away from him. However, her arms immediately wrapped around his neck, and she stood on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

A soft whimper left his throat, and Naruto couldn't help but let the vulnerability he had felt earlier come lunging forward.

"I screwed up big time, and for that, I'm . . ."

Hinata held onto him tighter, "Please don't apologize anymore, Naruto. It's alright."

A few tears slipped passed his tightly closed eyes, and Naruto had to bite down hard on his lip not to make any noise, but his body betrayed him when it began to wrack with silent sobs.

"Oh Naruto . . ."

Naruto silently cursed himself for being so foolish. This wasn't going at all the way he had planned.

They were supposed to cuddle for a moment, then head downstairs where he would give Hinata her gifts and enjoy each other's company on the couch while cuddling some more. But instead, he was having an emotional breakdown from everything that had been happening lately. It was utterly overwhelming, and the only thing he could seem to do at this moment was silently cry and hold onto his wife for dear life.

As tears continuously slid down his cheeks, Hinata didn't say a word or ridicule him for having a moment of weakness. Instead, she simply held onto him tightly while humming a song softly against his ear. At first, he didn't recognize the tune, but it seemed hauntingly familiar. But then, his wife hummed a specific note, and he suddenly realized that it was their wedding song, which only made him feel even more guilty.

He was confident that she wasn't trying to make him feel even more miserable and only wanted to remind him of her undying love for her husband.

Kenji's right . . . I should be thanking my lucky stars that Hinata hasn't held anything against me or screamed at me for being so stupid . . . I should have handled this situation with more care for her feelings . . .

Naruto didn't tell her to stop; instead, he stood there quietly while coming to terms with the remorse flooding over him. A few more times, he tried to apologize to his wife, but the words he wanted to say wouldn't come out, and all he could do was continue to weep and hold her tightly.

After what seemed like an eternity, he felt like the emotional tornado raging inside him was over. Finally, the tears ceased from falling down his cheeks, and the tightness in his throat was beginning to subside. He pulled one arm up to wipe across his face in an attempt to erase the evidence of his breakdown.

"Hinata . . ." Naruto breathed softly when he found his voice.

"Feel better now?" She asked in a gentle tone

He nodded his head, but when he opened his eyes, Naruto felt embarrassed to look at Hinata directly and instead kept his gaze down, off to the side.

Hinata's slim arms wrapped around him a bit more tightly, "Sometimes you need to have a good cry. I've done it a few times when I've been stressed out about the kids, the house, things between us . . . and once I just let it all go, I feel so much better."

Naruto took a few more deep breaths and tried to compose himself, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm so sorry, Hinata, I should have . . ."

"Shhhhh. It's okay, Naruto. I already forgave you yesterday, remember?" Hinata comforted him softly.

"But you shouldn't have forgiven me just like that! I was being insensitive, and I should . . ."

"Naruto, please look at me."

He flinched slightly when his wife interrupted him, and it took almost all of his willpower to shift his blue eyes to her pale violet ones. While Hinata didn't look angry, there was a bit of a stern expression on her face.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little hurt from what happened yesterday, but I know you, Naruto. I know that you weren't trying to be cruel and that you just wanted to be honest with me from the beginning." His wife's soft hands gently cupped his cheeks, "Things between us have gotten a little . . . mundane lately. I can't blame you for feeling excited when a younger co-worker flirts with you, but I feel relieved that you didn't act on those thoughts or do anything rash."

A sense of relief swept over him, and while Naruto was finding it hard to come to terms with her swift forgiveness for his actions, a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that he should accept it and move on.

There's so much more I want to say and apologize for . . . but at this point, we would be going around in circles and getting nowhere. So this is probably one of those moments where I should keep my mouth shut.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto closed his eyes momentarily before staring back into his wife's loving eyes, "I know. And I'm just as guilty with how things have gotten with our family and between us; for that, I'm truly sorry."

Hinata smiled, "And I'm sorry too. Maybe tomorrow, we can talk about it some more? See where the two of us could make some progress?"

At that moment, Naruto wanted nothing more than to tell her about the job offer he had received earlier this afternoon. He wanted to confess to her that he was seriously considering the position . . . and yet, he couldn't bring himself to tell her.

Not yet. I need to talk to someone else first before I tell Hinata. But, right now, I want to . . .

"Yeah, seems good to me. But why don't we head to bed for now? I'm sure the two of us could use a good night's sleep after the shit show we experienced the night before."

Hinata giggled softly and slowly began to pull herself away from him, "That sounds wonderful, but are you sure you don't want to shower first?"

"Ah, you're right; that does sound good. Maybe I should do that first." Naruto said while scratching the back of his head. He was drained, but a part of him knew that a hot shower would help him relax before climbing into bed with his wife.

However, before he could ponder his options anymore, Hinata's whispered words brought him back to reality.

"Ah, look! It's a full moon tonight!"

The dark clouds outside briefly parted, revealing the bright, white moon above their heads. Outside of their home, the cul-de-sac was already well-lit thanks to the tall street lamps, but now that the moon was fully revealed, it almost gave the illusion that it was daytime now.

A bitterly cold evening . . . the moon shining brightly above us . . .no one around . . .

A sense of nostalgia passed over him, and Naruto couldn't help but smile as he reminisced about the time he had kissed Hinata for the first time.

If he were to tell anyone about the time they had shared their first kiss, perhaps someone would point out that he had done it intentionally. Parking his truck as far away as possible, waiting till everyone was gone and then being a hopeless romantic by pointing out how bright the moon was. However, Naruto knew that it had all been sheer dumb luck on his part and that he could never be that kind of a slick Casanova.

His body trembled in remembrance of what it had felt like . . .

Her warm lips against his own . . .

The soft sounds that she had made in his arms . . .

A sense of passion that he never knew could exist . . .

All of these sensations and reminiscences crept over him, and Naruto wanted to re-live one of the most unforgettable moments of his life.

He reached his hand forward and tenderly wrapped his fingers around Hinata's. This time around, his wife didn't jump when their skin made contact, but instead, she turned her head towards him; a loving gaze in her eyes that was so deep that it made his breath hitch. Naruto wasn't sure if she was thinking about the same thing that he was, but he was sure of one thing, and that was how much he desperately wanted to kiss her. However, he didn't know how to convey his feelings, especially in words. So, instead, he brought her hand up and placed it on his now thundering beating heart.

Even though they had shared many kisses and much more over the last ten years together, his body was reacting like it had that night in that parking lot. He felt light-headed, nervous and unsteady. Looking back, Naruto was amazed that he had even found the courage to kiss Hinata in the first place, even though it had been something he had wanted to do the moment she had agreed to be his girlfriend on that transformer platform.

Her fingers twitched lightly against his chest, and it seemed that she finally realized what his intentions were as a blush slowly spread across her cheeks, and she gave him a knowing gaze.

Naruto took a quivering breath, and he ever so slowly leaned his head down, "Hinata . . ."

Their eyes began to close, and when their lips touched, Naruto had to fight off a loud groan from escaping his throat. It was a sense and act of affection that he would never grow tired of. Shivers and shocks of electricity pulsated through his entire form as their mouths moved in a slow but familiar dance.

His arms snaked around Hinata's waist, pulling her closer to his larger form and biting off another groan from the sensation of her breasts pressed against his chest. The warmth of her body against his was stirring a fire deep in the pit of his stomach, and he wanted nothing more than to pick his wife up and carry her downstairs where he could continue their intimate waltz on the spare bed.

Not yet . . .just a little bit more . . .

Behind his closed eyes, they weren't standing in the living room, and he wasn't kissing his wife. Instead, he was kissing his girlfriend for the first time in that deserted parking lot. It was a fantasy that he would sometimes play inside his head from time to time. Thinking of different scenarios of what would have transpired had Kiba not interrupted them. Finally, curiosity got the better of him, and he wanted to explore what could have possibly happened that night under the moon and stars in the cold.

Naruto slowly took a step forward, pushing Hinata backwards under her shoulders came in contact with the wall by the front window. Deep into his fantasy, they were standing outside his work truck, exploring each other for the first time with no chance of anyone interrupting them. He pressed tightly against her before tilting his head slightly to deepen their kiss before slipping his tongue inside. Hinata whimpered softly against his mouth, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly as she followed his lead.

Slowly his hands began to explore the silhouette of his woman's luscious body; her natural curves and the softness of her skin always turned him on in a way that no other female could. Yet, right now, in his mind, there was no trace of Hina or any other woman for that matter. All he could think of and feel was Hinata.

As Naruto continued caressing and kissing her, he knew in his hazy mind that soon he wouldn't be able to take much more of this. His body felt hot, they were both trembling, and the sounds coming from her were driving him insane. It was all so tempting to just slip his sweatpants down a bit and take her right here and now.

And yet . . .

A little bit longer . . . just a little bit more . . .

Even though he was on the brink of snapping, Naruto couldn't deny that he was also immensely enjoying their affectionate make-out session. It was a complicated sensation of desperately wanting to take their intimacy to the next level but also wanting to keep teasing her until she was literally begging for more.

He opted for the latter choice, and quickly pondered what his younger self would have tried to do in that parking lot.

I would have wanted to know . . . if she wanted me as much as I wanted her . . .

His right hand, which had been gripping her hip, gradually slipped past the waist of her sweatpants, fingertips gently tracing the band of her underwear. While he felt a little sad pulling his lips away from hers, Naruto began planting kisses, nips and licks along her neck and right ear. His eyes remained shut, wanting to relish in what he was feeling with his other senses. He could feel her erratic pulse against his lips, her body trembling against his and the soft erotic gasps coming from her open mouth were music to his ears.

"N-Naruto . . ."

Hearing the soft whisper of his name from Hinata made the electrician quiver uncontrollably. His resistance to making love to her was on the brink of cracking. What held him together was first needing to know how much she wanted him. And then, Naruto knew that his self-control wouldn't be able to hold back his wants and desires any longer.

Slowly his hand made its way down after caressing the soft skin of her lower abdomen. His initial intention was only to trace the outline of her underwear and see how hot she was with the barrier of the cotton material. But, instead, his fingers glided past the hem of her panties, and he got the full sensation of how worked up his woman was; the heat and wetness against his hand was utterly overwhelming.

"A-ah! W-wait, Naruto! N-not here! W-we should . . ."

Her soft words of protest were only met on deaf ears. Naruto had no intention of stopping; he wanted to keep teasing her until she fell over the edge of ecstasy, crying out his name.

No longer was he fantasizing about being in the past, but now his mind was in the present, and he wanted nothing more than to see his wife find that climactic high. Feeling more determined on his end goal now, Naruto pushed his selfish longings aside for the moment and only focused on the woman he loved.

He continued caressing the skin of her neck and ear with his lips, teeth and tongue, pausing ever so often on the spot where he could feel her rapid pulse against his mouth. At that moment, Naruto could tell that Hinata was aware of his intentions as she weakly tried to push him away, and he could still hear the odd word of objection to what they were doing in the living room.

However, he didn't care.

"Then you better keep quiet, Hinata . . ."

Ever so slowly, his hand began to pleasure her, and Hinata had to bring her own hand up to her mouth to quiet down the cries of pleasure wanting to escape from her lips. His wife trembled against him, and while she may have voiced not wanting to continue, her body, on the other hand, was telling him a different story.

After years of being together, he knew exactly how to satisfy and pleasure the woman in his arms, like a musician being able to hit every note and key on their instrument. And he was always able to tell when she was close to reaching her peak.

For over three weeks, there had been no physical contact between them, and only the night before had it been the first time in a while where they finally had an opportunity to hold each other. However, it had been very brief and cut off short. Between the two of them, the sexual tension and passion that had been building up over the last few weeks was now on the brink of falling apart at the seams.

With the way her inner muscles clamped around his fingers and the high-pitched moans behind her hand, Naruto could sense that Hinata was almost about to fall off the edge of ecstasy and find her release. He adjusted his hand slightly and pressed his thumb against her most sensitive spot, causing her back to arch off the wall.

And then he felt it.

His lips found hers, and Naruto swallowed her cries of pleasure while her nails dug into his shoulder. Hinata's hips thrusted a few times against his hands as she rode out the waves of her climax. He made sure that his free arm was wrapped securely around his wife because the moment her ride of ecstasy was over, she slumped against him like a rag doll.

"I've got you, Hinata . . . I've got you. . ." Naruto whispered against her lips.

Hinata's limp arms wrapped around his neck as tightly as she was able to muster, and after pulling his hand out from underwear, he picked his wife up bridal style, knowing that she didn't have the energy to move.

She breathed in and out deeply against his shoulder, and even though her eyes were closed, he could still tell that she was incredibly content and happy in the dim light.

"I told you to stop . . ." Hinata scolded him softly.

Naruto chuckled, "Well, you know, sometimes I'm not a very good listener."

His wife hummed in agreeance and snuggled closer to his chest, "You know the kids could have caught us at any moment, right?"

He shrugged and started to make his way towards the main stairs, "Nah, those little turky's got their sleeping habits from me. A plane could crash in the middle of our street, and they would still be snoring away."

Hinata giggled softly, but just as he was about to take his first step up, she grabbed onto his t-shirt and gave it a rather hard tug, "Wait, let's go downstairs . . ."

His body was still thrumming from just a few moments ago, and hearing that she wanted to go downstairs made his heart swell with anticipation. He had fully been expecting that Hinata was too tired to participate anymore, but now . . .

"Are you sure? I don't mind just showering and taking care of myself."

That was a complete lie.

He wanted Hinata to touch him and also assist in finding his own climatic release. But at the same time, he also wanted to show that her needs mattered more to him than his at the moment. In fact, he not only wanted her to help him, but he also needed to make love to her as well. Being connected to her that way, no matter how exhausted he was, always made his soul feel alive and loved.

"Well, our shower upstairs doesn't have a seat like the one in the spare bedroom downstairs. But, I'm sure, if you give me a chance to rest, we can still . . ."

Naruto hurried as quickly as he could to get the both of them downstairs before she changed her mind.

0000000000

Hinata groaned softly and stretched her arms above her head as high as she could.

Her mind felt groggy, and her body was still exhausted.

Slowly she peeked one violet eye open and took in her surroundings of the spare bedroom downstairs. Normally, after making love to her husband in one of the many rooms in their home, they would still have the energy to make their way back to the master bedroom. However, after last night . . .

I'll consider myself lucky if I'm able to walk up the stairs. Last night was so . . .

Hinata closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed and happy about what had happened between her and Naruto. But what made it feel more special was simply their lovemaking performance. It hadn't been just a fuck session where the two of them were going at it like rabbits after not seeing each other for so long. Instead, it had been slow and gentle, as if they were worshipping each other. There had undoubtedly been times of passion with feverish kisses but also tender moments as their hands slowly caressed one another.

We only got out of the shower because it ran out of hot water. Otherwise, I think we would have stayed in there much longer.

Smiling to herself, Hinata rolled over to see if her partner was still sleeping next to her, but she wasn't surprised to see that he was gone or that it was past 9 am.

The reminiscences of last night were still fresh in her mind, and while things hadn't gone as she had wanted them to, Hinata couldn't deny that what had ended up happening turned out better than she could ever imagine. Standing in front of the window in the moonlight, it was hard not to notice that they had both been thinking about the exact moment, the night they had kissed for the first time.

Last night felt so nostalgic and wonderful; it was like we were reconnecting with each other. And even though it was incredible, I still want to go through with my original plan tonight . . . and hopefully Naruto will like it and not think that it's weird . . .

In the very early morning, as Hinata had been listening to her husband's heartbeat and drifting off to the land of slumber, he had assured her that she would get to sleep in and that he would take care of the kids for the morning. And while sometimes her husband could be forgetful or break a promise here and there, whenever he told her that he would take care of the kids, he always followed through on his word.

She closed her eyes and tried to see if she could hear any sound of her children or husband upstairs, but her ears were met with only silence. Hinata stayed still and tried to listen for any sign of anyone else in the house, but there was nothing.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Hinata couldn't decide if she was happy or suspicious about why the house was so eerily quiet. She quickly rolled out of bed and grabbed a spare set of pyjamas they kept in one of the drawers. While her legs still felt weak, she still made it up the stairs quickly enough to find that the house's main area was completely empty.

Her first instinct was to check upstairs to see if the children were playing in their room with their father, but instead, her feet took her toward the attached garage, where she could see that her white van was no longer parked inside.

Hinata figured that Naruto had simply taken them out for the morning. But, she still tracked down her phone to see if her husband was at least intelligent enough to leave her a brief text message as to where he was going instead of leaving her completely in the dark. Thankfully, there was a little novel waiting for her from him.

I hope you had a good sleep, beautiful. I've got the kids with me and borrowed your van for the morning. I've got to head to the Hyuuga Electric and Power head office to talk to Neji for a bit, but then I will be taking them to the Tree House Indoor Playground, probably until later in the afternoon. The kids have had breakfast, and we'll have lunch at the playground cafeteria. So enjoy having the house to yourself, do whatever you want, and we will come home before supper time.

Hinata smiled to herself and was about to do as her husband had suggested, but stopped when she saw that there was also an unread message from Sakura just over an hour ago. While the text was short, the smile on her face widened as she read her friend's words:

Your suggestion worked like a charm last night. We talked it over and had some 'fun' later on. Sasuke promised me he would only do the long shifts for two months and then return to his regular shift. Thank you so much for the advice and for listening to me vent.

Hinata let out a relieved sigh.

Before heading upstairs to shower, she prepared a small breakfast with her usual Green Tea. While they had somewhat showered last night, it wasn't a proper one where she had been able to wash her hair or shave her legs. Since no little children were demanding her attention, Hinata took her time and enjoyed the hot water cascading down her body. When she came back downstairs, it was only then that she noticed the bouquet of white lilies in a vase on the table. A soft smile spread across her lips at her husband's kind gift, and upon further inspection, she even found her favourite sake and cinnamon bun rolls in the fridge.

As 10 am approached, Hinata sat down at her desk in the office and opened up her laptop to check if any important e-mails needed to be addressed. While Naruto was now on vacation, she wasn't quite there yet. It was Thursday, and Hinata had two more days before she was officially on days off like her husband.

Hinata mostly worked from home part-time and would only occasionally visit the office if she could find someone to watch the kids, or she would bring them along where they could visit with their grandfather and great-uncle. While she was able to do all of her work from home, she still made sure to see people face to face the odd time instead of just communicating with them over the phone or emails.

While her eyes were scanning the contents of her inbox, the phone on her desk began to ring. It was directly connected to the telephone system with Hyuuga Electric and Power, so Hinata knew that this was someone at the office trying to get a hold of her directly.

"Hinata Uzumaki speaking, how can I help you?"

"Good morning Hinata," She beamed briefly at the sound of her cousin's voice but almost immediately frowned when he asked directly and seriously, "Hanabi hasn't tried to call you yet, has she?"

Confused, Hinata was about to respond to Neji but paused when her work cell phone suddenly started vibrating, and he sister's name appeared on the screen, "Actually, she's trying to call me right now,"

Neji sighed, "Yeah, I figured that she would. But, look, listen to me carefully; everything is fine, don't pick up the phone."

"Neji, what's going on?"

Her cousin laughed, "Everything is perfectly fine, I promise. She's just having a childish temper tantrum."

Hinata sighed, "Do I even want to know what over? Granted, it's been a while since she had one of those."

Her sister had considerably matured over the last few years, especially after becoming a mother to two very rambunctious twin boys. But, there was the odd time that her temper could sometimes get the better of her.

"It is about your husband, but that's all I'm going to say and leave it at that. The two of you can talk about the details and what he's decided to do." Neji informed her.

Hinata paused.

After Naruto had returned home yesterday evening, she could immediately tell that he had a lot on his mind. She hadn't wanted to pry, especially when she had asked if he was okay, and he had promised that they would talk about it later. Now, it seemed whatever was bugging him at least had something to do with his job if he had made a trip to head office.

"And you're sure that everything is okay?"

"Absolutely. Just listen to what your husband has to say tonight, and that's where I'm going to leave it at."

Before Hinata could respond, she noticed that her sister was calling for a second time now, "Hmmm, well, I suppose whatever he has to tell me has Hanabi panicking."

Her cousin laughed, "Don't worry about her; I'll take care of her as soon as I'm done talking to you. In the meantime, I know we were kind of discussing it on Monday, but you guys are still free this upcoming weekend, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Good. I'm sorry if this will cause you some trouble, but Sora insisted that we do this for our youngest daughter's birthday. I know it's a three-hour car ride for us all of us, but I know Sawako will be over the moon."

Hinata turned in her chair and looked at the calendar that was behind her; the words 'West Edmonton Mall Party?' scribbled over the upcoming Saturday and Sunday, "I haven't had a chance to discuss the details with Naruto, but I'm sure he'll be all for it."

"I'll send out an email including everyone, but we already have booked the rooms and passes for both the Water Park and Galaxy Land. Sora made sure to get everyone themed rooms; I'm pretty sure you guys are in the Outer Space one. And our first night there on Friday, my father and Uncle Hiashi have volunteered to watch all the kids while we adults go out to supper together."

Her pale eyes widened, "All of the grandchildren? Are father and Uncle Hizashi sure they want all eight grandchildren?"

Neji laughed, "They were very insistent, and since it's the two of them, I'm sure they will be fine."

Hinata sighed, "I know it will be nice for all of us to get a break from the kids, but I just worry that they will be in over their heads, especially with Hanabi's two boys."

"Heh, well, think of it this way. It's not like we'll be in another city or far away. So if anything gets too chaotic, we can just leave the restaurant and head straight back to our rooms in less than ten minutes."

She hummed in agreeance, "I suppose so."

"Then I think on the Saturday we will do the Water Park, and Sunday go to Galaxy Land before heading home. So it's going to be hectic, but also fun at the same time."

Hinata opened her mouth to comment, but she was cut off when her phone vibrated again for the third time.

"Damn, she certainly is persistent. I'll let you go for now, Hinata. I'll call you one more time to go over any last-minute details about the upcoming family trip. In the meantime, I'm going to have a serious word with my other cousin. Have a good day!"

After hanging up the phone, Hinata couldn't deny that she was incredibly curious about what Naruto and Neji had talked about that had her younger sister so worked up. However, while she had a few hypotheses, Hinata didn't want to make any assumptions.

It's best if I just wait until Naruto and I can talk about it face-to-face tonight. In the meantime, I guess I'll block Hanabi's number for now.

As time passed, it wasn't until after an hour did Neji send her a text to say that he had finally calmed her little sister down and that she wouldn't be pestering her for the rest of the day.

Once her work was completed, Hinata decided that a trip to the grocery store was in order. So she began to wander through the house, making a list of everything they would need for the rest of the week and the weekend. While passing by the master bedroom, she paused and glanced inside to see yesterday's laundry basket still sitting on top of the covers.

Ah, that's right, I didn't get a chance to put those clothes away . . .

As she stepped inside, her intent was to put the clothes away and then continue with making her shopping list. However, the moment she stood next to the bed, a sense of sadness swept over her as she looked down at the barely disturbed comforter. Her fingers lightly brushed the soft material, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips. Since Naruto had last been home over three weeks ago, she had been completely avoiding sleeping in their king-sized bed.

Usually, on his first night back at work, she would attempt to fall asleep here, but Hinata found it nearly impossible to get any shut-eye in the bed they shared. So instead, she either would sleep in her old room with the door open or on the couch in the living room where she could still hear the children. She stared longingly down at the covers and hoped that she would be able to sleep next to her husband here tonight.

Closing her eyes and standing up straight, Hinata took a deep breath and continued making her grocery list.

After jumping into Naruto's truck, Hinata took her time shopping; almost going up and down every aisle in the store, even if she knew that she didn't need anything. It was rare that she could shop in peace, and she wanted to savour every second of it. Not that her children were complete brats whenever she took them with her, but at times they could be downright exhausting to deal with in a store. From Boruto asking every five seconds if he could have something to Himiko just grabbing random items on the shelves and putting them in the cart without her knowing until they got to the checkout.

By the time Hinata was finished going to all the stores that she wanted to, it was after 2 pm. With the truck full of grocery bags and boxes, she headed home, expecting her husband and children to be waiting for her to arrive. But when she pulled into the garage and saw that her van was still gone, Hinata couldn't deny that she was completely surprised.

Usually, after five hours, Naruto is overwhelmed with dealing with the kids and hands them back to me before retreating to the basement. I hope everything is okay.

Back and forth, Hinata walked from the garage to almost every room in the house, either putting away groceries in the fridge and pantry, to stocking up toilet paper and shampoo in the bathrooms. As she was finishing her last trip to the truck, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Before picking up the final box, she read her husband's most recent text to her.

The kids are going to spend the night at your Dad's and Uncle's, so it's just you and me eating dinner tonight. Can't wait ;)

Hinata smiled, and she let out a small laugh of disbelief.

While last night had been amazing, she was a bit shocked to see that Naruto was willing to go to such great lengths for them to have the house entirely to themselves for the evening. But as she grasped onto the box, Hinata couldn't help but remind herself that this probably also had something to do with the meeting her cousin had spoken about. She had tried not to dwell on it, but occasionally Hinata couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Was her husband looking to try a different position within the company? Or did it have to do with a particular female co-worker?

While Naruto had only told her that Hina was simply a co-worker that he saw on the odd occasion, was it possible that he had been holding back and not telling her the entire truth? Had this woman been harassing her husband at work? Texting him at all hours of the night, trying to get his attention?

Hinata felt her jealousy and temper flare, but she also reminded herself that Naruto was not the type of man to keep secrets from her. As she carried the box inside, the memory of her husband's breakdown last night almost brought a tear to her eye. He had been so upset and overwhelmed; it had caught Hinata completely off guard. While she had been expecting him to be a little upset from what had transpired at the hotel, she didn't think it would be to this great length.

After he had finished crying, she had wanted nothing more than to lead him to their bedroom where they could talk about it more, but things had taken an unexpected turn. Her pale eyes shifted from the kitchen counter and up to the front living room window where their intimate act had occurred. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, and she hoped that none of her family had witnessed anything that had happened last night.

While that was most likely not possible, Hinata couldn't help but softly curse her husband for being so rash as she returned one final time to the garage to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything in the truck cab. After a quick inspection, she was about to make her way back to the kitchen and begin prepping for their supper but paused when her eyes fell onto the row of coveralls that were hung up on the garage wall. There were roughly six pairs; three belonged to her and the other three to her husband. They were mostly there in case one of them needed to do some dirty work in the garage, but Hinata also saw them as a sort of trophy of their years of hard work with her family's company.

She took a step forward, and her hand lightly caressed the rough material of a pair of relatively clean blue coveralls that belonged to Naruto, his name embroidered on the top left-hand side. The blush that had cascaded her cheeks moments ago came surging back as she remembered her conversation with Sakura yesterday afternoon.

"I-I am. An idea just sort of came to me, and maybe this is something we can do for our husbands. Maybe we just need to shake up our 'wifely' routines a bit and show them why they fell in love with us in the first place."

Hinata hadn't exactly voiced what she was planning to her friend, simply out of embarrassment. However, her original idea had been to lure her husband into the garage, where she would be wearing a pair of her old coveralls and nothing else. Of course, they had never been intimate in the garage before, but there was always a first time for everything. Not to mention that her original plan was to only give her husband a bit of oral attention before perhaps making their way to one of the spare bedrooms.

She had always found Naruto handsome and attractive whenever he wore his blue ones, so Hinata figured that perhaps he would have the same fantasy as her. It was an occasional thought or vivid dream that she used to have the odd time when both of them had been working together at Konoha Energy. While it was mostly embarrassing and something that she had always kept to herself, Hinata also knew deep down that if she had ever suggested such a fantasy to Naruto, that he might be on board with it.

After dinner tonight, maybe I can gather up my courage and give this a try . . .

Seeing as how this was a rare occasion where the two of them would have the house completely to themselves, Hinata figured that she needed to take things a step further. So, as she finished marinating the steaks and prepping the salad, Hinata would put the meal prep on pause the odd time to run upstairs to her bathroom to either apply a little makeup to her face or try on an old outfit that she used to wear when going on a date with Naruto.

In the end, Hinata chose a simple blouse with a skirt, and even though her hair was still relatively short, she managed to pull her locks up into a tiny bun.

Just as she was checking the temperature of the steaks, her ears picked up the sound of their garage door opening. Smiling to herself, Hinata hurried to light a few candles she had found and placed them on the island, along with their cutlery, plates, and wine glasses. She was dishing up their plates when Naruto appeared from around the corner; he was holding a single rose in his hand with a broad smile on his face.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this fancy?" Naruto teased her softly. He greeted her with a brief kiss and then slowly scanned her form with his blue eyes, "And you dressed up as well. Should I hop in the shower quick and do the same thing?"

While technically Naruto was dressed rather casually, Hinata still found his dark jeans and long-sleeved orange shirt to be quite striking on him, "I like what you're wearing. Supper is ready, so we can eat at any time."

The couple sat down, and the two started talking about their day. The odd time Naruto would pause from eating, and he would place his hand on her upper thigh, which made her skin tingle.

While things between herself and Naruto hadn't been terrible or distant, it was nice to do things that weren't part of their usual schedule. And an at-home date was undoubtedly something special; it was just a touch of excitement to their life.

As Naruto was finishing up his story about dropping the kids off at her Father's, which was only a few houses away from theirs, it dawned on Hinata that her husband had intentionally not mentioned his trip to the Hyuuga Head Office.

"So, all in all, I had a really great time with the kids. Did you do anything else?" Naruto asked while finishing off the rest of his salad.

Hinata placed her silverware down and cleared her throat, "Like I said, mine was pretty relaxing. But, um, is there anything else you did today?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, giving him a childish look as he tried to think if he had forgotten something, "Nope. Not that I can think of."

She sighed, "What about your trip to the head office?"

Her husband froze.

"I know you texted me and said you were going there, but Neji also called me."

Ever so slowly, Naruto finished chewing his salad, and it made her feel uncomfortable that suddenly he wouldn't look at her. "Ah, I see. And, um, what did he tell you?"

Hinata tried not to act hurt or annoyed by the way Naruto had attempted to avoid talking to her about the subject, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that it did sting a little. "Not much; he was pretty vague about it. Although, Hanabi did attempt to call me almost ten times before my cousin scolded her."

Naruto scratched his head, "I'm sorry, Hinata. I was going to tell you as soon as I came home, but then I saw everything you had done, and I didn't want to ruin it." His blue eyes finally met hers, and he reached forward to grasp her hand.

"I promise you it's nothing bad, but I need to talk to you about it. Your cousin and sister were quite upset with me."

Her curiosity was now in complete overdrive now, and Hinata had to bite her tongue before she demanded that Naruto tell her what was going on.

He sighed, "The thing is, I'm highly considering leaving Hyuuga Electric."

Hinata froze.

Whatever she was expecting to hear him say, that was far from it.

"Leave? You want to leave your job?" Hinata asked softly in disbelief.

Naruto gripped her hand tightly, "Just hear me out, okay? I know this is kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, but after talking with Kenji yesterday, I think maybe I should take him up on his offer."

"Offer?"

Her husband began to explain a meeting that he had had with Kenji Sarutobi. And while she was trying to pay attention to the details of what this position with Konoha Energy would entail, Hinata couldn't help but find herself getting excited when he mentioned that if he accepted the job, he would no longer be heading up north. So she tried to keep her composure while also stopping herself from blurting out that she wanted him to accept the job as soon as possible.

I have to keep it together. As much as I desperately want him home, I need to make sure this is something that he really wants to do.

"I told Kenji that I would think about and talk to you first. However, Hinata, I really need to apologize to you." Naruto said sadly.

"Apologize? For what?"

Naruto sighed, "I promised you years ago that as soon as we were going to start a family that I would find work closer to home. And I broke that promise. So I understand if you've held a small grudge against me all this time for continuing to keep working up north with Konoha Energy. It's just . . . I enjoyed it so much up there; it was my home away from home."

She tried to give him a comforting smile and wrapped both her hands around his, "I know it is, Naruto, which is why I didn't say anything. I knew that you really enjoyed your line of work, and I didn't want to ask you to leave it behind. Even if it meant I was . . ."

Hinata paused and bit her lip.

"You were what?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

"i-I mean, while I think this job with Konoha Energy is a good opportunity, is it something you want to do?" She stammered and tried to focus the conversation back on his job offer.

However, Naruto's eyes narrowed, "What were you going to say there?"

"Naruto, I . . ."

Her husband suddenly stood up, and Hinata was surprised by the look of anger on his face.

"Don't sugarcoat this, Hinata. I want you to be honest with me here. I know you want to support me, no matter what I choose. But right now, I need you to tell me how you really feel. Have you been completely fine with me working away these last six years? We talked about being more open three years ago, but I feel like this is always a subject we dance around."

Hinata's pale eyes widened.

She wanted to tell him that he was wrong and that she didn't harbour any ill feelings towards him being away, and yet . . .

I can't say it. Why can't I admit that I do want to support him?

Her mouth opened and closed several times, and yet she couldn't find the right words she wanted to say. While it wasn't a lie that she fully supported him with his career, a part of her also resented his line of work. She wondered briefly if he was angry at her for not being completely honest with him all this time, but before she could question anything else, he suddenly embraced her tightly.

"Damn it, Hinata. This is why I didn't want the kids here. Please don't cry." Naruto said gruffly into her hair.

Hinata blinked a few times and suddenly realized that a few tears had slipped down her cheeks.

"I'm not mad at you. Honestly, I'm more mad at myself for this." Naruto admitted curtly, "It's been getting harder and harder to leave you guys behind each time, especially that last stretch when I was gone for three weeks."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his midsection before softly admitting, "I-I have missed you. . .so much."

Naruto sighed, "Damn it. I didn't want to do that to you again. I didn't want you to feel lonely, especially with what happened between us when I travelled with Orochimaru there. So I thought maybe you would be okay as long as we lived in this house. Your cousin is right next door, Hiashi and Hizashi are just a few houses down, and Hanabi's just down the road. I thought if you had your family close to you, then you and the kids would be okay."

Her fingers clung to his shirt so tightly that Hinata was almost afraid that she would put a hole in it, "I always miss when you're gone, Naruto. Even if it's just for one night."

Naruto let out an agitated huff and kissed the top of her head, "Then you should have told me sooner, Hinata!"

While she wasn't angry at him, she still felt the need to defend her decisions, "T-that's not fair, Naruto. Would you not have been annoyed that I didn't want you working at a job that you loved? And told you that you had to work at an office job every day?"

"No, Hinata, that's not what I meant."

They weren't fighting, but at the same time, they also weren't having an agreeable conversation either. Instead, it was years of frustration and sugarcoating a situation that should have been dealt with earlier. While Hinata knew that Naruto loved his job, she wished he worked closer to home so that she and the kids could see him every night.

She was starting to yell at him now, telling him how she truly felt about him working away, and he in return admitted to her how lonely he had been without her and the kids to come home to. A subject that they usually tried to avoid, or only chip away at the surface, was now being addressed at its core; the ugly, nasty part that neither of them wanted to address.

The two of them went back and forth, getting out all of their anger and frustration from the last five years. And yet, during that entire time, they never let go of each other.

By the end of it, both of them were breathing heavily while giving each other an irritated glare.

"So . . . I'll call Kenji tomorrow then and tell him that I'll accept the position?" Naruto asked in both a cross but cheerful tone.

His sudden mood shift caught Hinata so off guard that she began to laugh, her head coming to rest on her husband's chest. While Naruto was quiet for a moment, then he too suddenly started to laugh with her, and the couple slowly collapsed to the floor, where they continued to hold onto each other.

A weight suddenly felt like it had been lifted off Hinata's shoulders, "I-I guess you should! I suppose we did come to that conclusion after all that, didn't we?"

Naruto held her tighter, "Yeah, I guess we did!"

The two of them continued to laugh for a few more seconds before falling into a comfortable silence. Hinata breathed in deeply while listening to Naruto's heartbeat. She couldn't help but ponder that after everything they had been through, anytime there had been an issue in their relationship, it always boiled down to them not communicating properly with each other.

His job with Orochimaru, the problems we had after Himawari was born, and even now . . . but I supposed, in the end, we do always end up talking it out.

Hinata breathed in deeply and thanked her lucky stars that she had married such an understanding and kind man, one who was willing to work on the challenging responsibilities that came along with marriage and having children.

"I will say this, though. I didn't expect our conversation to get so heated there; granted, at no point did I think you were going to throw anything at me like your sister."

Hinata's eyes widened, and she pulled away slightly to look at Naruto. "She threw something at you?"

Naruto laughed again, "Almost. When I told her and Neji about the offer with Konoha Energy, she tried to grab the phone on his desk, but he managed to pull it away just in time. Granted, he wasn't impressed either that I was thinking about leaving the family company."

Suddenly, the events later that morning made sense. Her family was always proud and boasted that Naruto was a hard worker, one that they wanted to stay with Hyuuga Electric until he was ready to retire. However, she also knew that there weren't any openings for Monday to Friday jobs within their head office right now.

I bet Neji and Hanabi were scrambling to make Naruto a better offer than Kenji's. But that would have been impossible to beat.

While she was sad at the thought of Naruto leaving after sixteen years of working hard at her Uncle's company, she also understood if he wanted to try something new and different.

"I'm so proud of you, Naruto. I bet you were beaming with pride when Kenji came to you directly and asked if you wanted the position." Hinata said while caressing his cheek.

Naruto grinned, "Heh, yeah, I'm not going to lie; I was feeling pretty cocky when he told me that. But also, at the same time, I was nervous too. Hyuuga and Sennin Electric are the only businesses I have only ever worked for. So the thought of suddenly leaving a place that is so familiar to me was kind of sad to think about."

Hinata softly hummed in agreeance.

"But I feel like this is the next step I should take. I want to be home every night to see you and the kids. I don't want to miss any more milestones with them. Boruto is already getting quite rambunctious, and I need to be here, especially for him and the girls. The idea of being in an office all day doesn't sound flattering, but it's not just about me anymore." Naruto paused and suddenly stood up, pulling her along with him. He gazed down at her with his trademark grin, "It's about you, me, and the kids. I need to stop being selfish and take into consideration what's best for this family. So, if you're okay with it, Hinata, next Monday, I'm going to submit my resignation letter with Hyuuga Electric."

A part of her wanted to tell him no. That she was okay with him still working away and that she would be fine with the kids. It was what she was used to. It was what she was familiar with.

But . . .

"I know my family will be disappointed that you're leaving. But I agree with you. It's time for a change, and things have stayed the same for too long. Plus, I have a feeling that if Neji had tried to offer you a position at the head office, you wouldn't have felt like you deserved it."

Naruto suddenly laughed again, and it caught Hinata a little off guard until he said, "That's exactly what Kenji said! So are you guys secretly mind-reading twins?"

The two of them shared another small laugh before returning their attention to the meal sitting on the island, which was now too cold to eat.

As Hinata tidied up and cleaned the dishes, Naruto sipped on his favourite beer while the two of them reminisced about all the memories they had experienced up north with Hyuuga Electric. From their early days to when they first met, up until Naruto's recent shift.

Long into the evening they talked, until her eyes fell on the digital clock on the stove, and she realized that it was almost midnight.

"Frick me. Have we been talking that long?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

Hinata smiled, "Well, there was a lot to talk about."

Her husband cocked his head back and downed the rest of his alcoholic beverage, "Shall we secure the house and head to our bed?"

While she wasn't looking at him, Hinata could clearly hear the sly, seductive tone in his voice. As she placed her wine glass in the sink, Naruto's hands grasped her hips, and he gently pulled her towards him.

"We haven't made love in our bed in god knows how long; I've forgotten what it's like to do it there with you." He gently kissed her ear.

Hinata shivered but playfully pushed him away before giving him a cunning look, "Why don't you go on upstairs without me? I'll check all the doors, make sure the clothes in the dryer are pulled out and then I'll meet you in our bedroom."

Naruto pouted, "I'll check the doors, but you can skip the laundry, right? That can wait until tomorrow."

"It will only take me a few minutes, Naruto." Hinata scolded gently.

Her husband let out a defeated huff, "Alright, fine. Just don't take too long! I'll check the front and back doors."

"And I'll set the alarm before I come up," Hinata added before giving him a wink and heading toward the laundry room.

As Hinata started pulling out the clothes in the dryer, she took her time and calculated when Naruto would no longer be on the main floor. Then, setting aside the laundry basket for the clothes to be folded later, Hinata quietly poked her head out into the hallway, where her husband was nowhere to be found.

Her heart was racing in her chest, and she started to think that perhaps her original plan wasn't a good idea. However, things were no longer tense between the two of them, so there was no need to go through with this, right?

It's just a silly fantasy, after all. I should just go upstairs, forget all about this, and then . . .

Hinata paused.

Had they not just had a heated discussion about holding back? Was this not a prime example of that?

Holding my tongue and ignoring my selfish desires is something I have done for far too long. And besides, the children aren't here, so this will be my only chance to try this . . .

Her hands fisted together. She was supposed to be the reserved housewife that didn't want to role-play out silly fantasies. There had only been one time that she allowed herself to be so lewd, and it had ended up with the hotel floor being drenched in water. But even so . . . it had been one of the most erotic moments of her life.

With her cheeks a bright red and feeling more determined than ever, Hinata finally decided what she wanted to do.

Swiftly, she stripped her clothes off in the laundry room down to her undergarments. Then, after making sure her husband was still upstairs, she quickly made her way to the garage. She let out a silent gasp from how cold the cement floor was against her bare feet, and her teeth almost started to chatter when she slipped on her old cold coveralls. Hinata couldn't deny that she was beyond embarrassed, especially when she only did the zipper up far enough just to expose her enormous chest.

Even though she was starting to feel a little silly, Hinata took a deep breath and made her way to the door that led into the hallway. Taking a deep breath, she called out, "Naruto! Can you come here, please?"

From above, she could hear his footsteps coming out from the bedroom, "Everything okay, Hinata?"

"Yes, I just need your help in the garage for a moment!"

There was a brief pause from her husband before he asked, "The garage? I thought you were just taking care of the laundry?"

"I-I was, but then I remembered there was something I needed to do in here, and I need your help."

Naruto let out a tired, loud sigh, "Alright, alright. It can't wait until the morning?"

"N-no, it's something we should do right now."

Hinata felt her heartbeat thundering in her chest upon hearing his footsteps coming down the stairs. She quickly bolted from the door and hopped onto the small workbench, where they kept a few tools and materials. Her face was beet red, and she was starting to have doubts about this whole notion.

What if he doesn't like this? What if he thinks it's strange? What if . . .

The door opened, and Naruto stepped inside, "Alright, Hinata, what do we need to . . ."

Her husband froze. The annoyed look on his face was very quickly replaced with utter astonishment. His wide eyes moved up and down, drinking in her entire form. Hinata wasn't sure if he was surprised in a good or bad way, but at least he wasn't laughing at or had a look of disgust on his face.

Figuring it was best to keep going, she managed to stammer out, "M-Mister Uzumaki, i-I can't seem to find the q-quarter inch hardware y-you asked me to f-find. C-can you h-help me, p-please?"

His shocked expression quickly disappeared and was replaced with a cunning, devilish smile. He didn't laugh or make fun of her role-playing attempt; he promptly slipped into character before saying, "Why certainly, Miss Hyuuga. It seems you are looking in the wrong place. Allow me to show you where they are."

0000000000

For most of his childhood and early teens, Naruto remembered the West Edmonton Mall being declared the biggest mall in the world. From its large, two-storey shopping centres, various restaurants, two food courts, a water and theme park, an aquatic water show that was next to a full-scale pirate ship, an ice rink, and thirteen movie theatres, it was hard to argue that it was extravagant.

However, now he was pretty sure it didn't even crack the top ten largest in the world, but it was still a sight to see anytime he made his way into the facility.

The World Water Park was warm inside, but not as tropical as Hawaii or Cancun. With a full-fledged wave pool, numerous slides and a large crowd, Naruto could have sworn he was at a legit outdoor water park in the middle of summer. He peeked over his sunglasses to see Hinata playing in the water with Himiko. His youngest daughter's red hair was always easy to spot in a large crowd.

As for the other two . . .

He glanced to his right, where Boruto and Himawari were tiredly sitting on a beach chair like him, sipping on juice boxes. For the last half hour, the three of them, along with their other older cousins, had been climbing hundreds of stairs and slipping down water slides. While Naruto still considered himself to be in decent shape, he was still a bit shocked when he was completely wiped after only thirty minutes.

A loud horn blared throughout the water park, indicating that the waves were about to start. While younger children and some adults got out of the water, others like Himawari and Boruto jumped up and headed towards it.

"Don't go too deep, you two." Naruto reminded them firmly.

"We know, Dad!"

Naruto sighed but smiled when his wife sat down beside him with Himiko. While there were lots of women walking around in skimpy bikinis or revealing swimsuits, he only had eyes for his wife in her black one-piece.

"I know Saturdays are busy here, but I hope no one rams into Boruto and Himawari when the waves start," Hinata said in a concerned voice.

He patted her leg comfortingly, "Those two will be fine; just let them be. Besides, if we let them tire themselves out, they'll go to sleep early tonight."

Hinata smiled back, "You didn't sleep well last night either?"

"I know they were just excited from the theme room we're staying in, but I was about to throw my pillow at them if they started naming constellations one more time," Naruto grumbled playfully.

Before his wife could respond, she was interrupted when her father and Uncle Hizashi approached them.

"Sora says that we're going to have lunch and cake for Sawako in about half an hour," Hiashi informed them.

Even though the older Hyuuga twins were well into their sixties, Naruto couldn't deny that they still looked amazing for their age, but he kept his lingering eyes well hidden behind his dark sunglasses.

"Sounds good, Dad. Where are the rest of the kids?"

Hizashi pointed behind them, "Hot tub. Which is where we're headed."

While Hiashi usually had a cold, poker face, right now, he was smiling so wide that Naruto wasn't sure if he found it heartful or creepy.

"Does Himiko want to join Grandpa?" He asked his youngest granddaughter in a high, playful voice before picking her up.

"Hot tub! Hot tub!" the young girl replied.

Hinata frowned a little, "Are you sure, Dad? I'm sure you and Uncle Hizashi are exhausted from watching the kids last night."

Hiashi merely shrugged, "Nothing I can't handle, Hinata my dear. If she becomes too much, I'll bring her back. In the meantime, we'll keep a watchful eye on her." The two older gentlemen started to walk away, "Now remember, Himiko dear, no splashing in the hot water . . . unless your twin cousins Osamu and Atsuma sit beside us, then I give you full permission.

Himiko squealed with delight.

His wife sighed tiredly before sitting on her beach chair and then lying back like he was. Naruto smirked, "How much you wanna bet we're going to hear a lot of screaming in less than ten minutes?"

Hinata shot him a playful glare, "You mean louder than all the screaming going on right now in this place?"

While the waterpark was indeed loud, Naruto didn't let it bother him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sure this weekend you wanted to relax. I just didn't have time to tell you about Sawako's Birthday Party."

He grinned mischievously, "Well, we were pretty busy at the house. I mean, it took us a while to find that quarter-inch hardware; we had to look for it in the bedroom too."

Hinata lightly smacked his arm, her face immediately lighting up brighter than a Christmas tree bulb. While their sexual escapades in the garage and bedroom were something he wanted to boast about, he was also well aware of how embarrassed and apprehensive his wife had been about it.

"P-please don't remind me . . ." Hinata whispered while trying to cover her face.

"Why? You know I love it when you show your lewd side." Naruto said without any reservations.

"Naruto!" Hinata gasped.

"What? No ones close by or heard what I said. Like you stated, it's really loud in here." Naruto tilted his sunglasses down and waggled his eyebrows at her.

Hinata let out an irritated sigh and turned her head away from him.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh and grasped her hand to hold in his, even though she tried to pull hers away at first.

Even though he wanted to tease her more, Naruto decided it was best to change the subject, "Have your sister or cousin mentioned anything about last night? I swear your sister wouldn't look me in the eye for the rest of the evening.

After settling into their hotel rooms, Konohamaru, Hanabi, Neji, Sora, Hinata, and himself headed down to Bourbon Street, a section of the mall that was just an indoor street of restaurants. While Hiashi and Hizashi had volunteered to watch the children, the six adults had picked Mr. Mikes Steakhouse to have a nice, quiet meal. However, halfway through the meal, he had announced to everyone that he would be contacting Kenji Sarutobi and working out the details of his new job.

While Konohamaru looked ecstatic upon hearing the news, the rest of the party did not. Neji and Hanabi didn't yell at him, but he could tell by their tone that they weren't pleased and were trying to convince him to stay longer with Hyuuga Electric.

"They'll be fine, Naruto. Besides, Uncle Hizashi told you that while he was sad, he was also proud that you were moving up in your career; my father said the same thing too." Hinata added in, her hand squeezing his a little tighter.

Naruto nodded and briefly took his eyes off her to ensure the children were still safe in the wave pool before looking back at Hinata, "Yeah, I know."

"But for now, just relax. You can meet with Kenji on Monday and then go from there."

He leaned back a little more into his chair, "Is it going to be weird having me home every night from now on?"

Hinata frowned, "No, why would you say that?"

"Well, I know sometimes I get on your nerves. Instead of getting a break when I head up to work, you're going to have to deal with me all day, twenty-four-seven." Naruto gave her a sneaky grin like a Cheshire cat.

She rolled her eyes, "I think I would much prefer that than sleeping in a bed all by myself, Naruto. Even though the last few evenings have been . . . tireseome, I always love I when you sleep next to me."

Hearing Hinata say that made his heart swell, but it also brought forward a bunch of unwanted thoughts that were inappropriate for a public place. Unfortunately, his wife was most likely unaware of his situation, and he squirmed uncomfortably beside her.

"Naruto?"

It's all her fault . . .

The blonde electrician suddenly stood up and very easily scooped his wife up in his arms.

"Naruto!" Hinata shrieked as he began to head towards the wave pool. "Put me down now!"

Naruto grinned, "No can do, wifey. You need t be punished."

Hinata opened her mouth to protest but was silenced when he jumped into an oncoming wave with her in tow. While her voice was muffled under the water, Naruto could still hear her cursing at him.

As soon as their heads were above water, she tried to give him a stern glare, "Naruto Uzumaki!"

He laughed, "Yes, Hinata Uzumaki?"

It looked like Hinata wanted to scold him for his actions, but she was interrupted when Boruto jumped onto his shoulders.

"Gotcha, Dad!"

While Naruto was caught off guard, he pretended like his son had been able to knock him over, and the two of them fell into the water. Himawari followed them with a loud giggle, and even though Hinata still looked annoyed with him, she trailed them deeper into the water too.

Right at noon, everyone gathered at the side area that was reserved for them, and they began to sing Happy Birthday to Sawako; a large pink cake in front of her with the number four placed in the center. Everyone chanted the song loudly, with Neji and Sora right beside their daughter; their other two children close by.

It was a sight that would warm to cockles of anyone's heart, but for Naruto, he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt as he recalled a few months ago when they had celebrated Himawari's fourth birthday before Christmas. On the day of her birthday, he had been away, and since he had been working overtime, he hadn't been able to facetime her that evening since she was already in bed by the time he was done. As his blue eyes scanned the party area, Naruto silently vowed never to miss another birthday or any other event in his children's lives.

"You okay, Naruto?" Hinata asked softly when she was done filming Sawako blowing her candles out.

Naruto shook his head and wrapped an arm around Hinata's waist, "I'm better than ever, actually."

His gaze fell on all the children as they surrounded the birthday girl who was about to open her presents. He took a deep breath and leaned his head against Hinata's.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just giving myself hell for missing so much with those three. They're not going to stay little forever; they grow up so fast . . ." Naruto bit his lip.

Hinata wrapped her arm around his waist too, "I know, which is why we need to cherish our time with them. Before we know it, the kids will want to have their own rooms on the main floor or basement and not be near us.

"Don't tell me that! Soon I'll have to start giving Boruto dating advice and protecting my girls from potential suitors!"

"Naruto . . ."

"Maybe I should get my gun license? Couldn't hurt to have one, just in case?"

"You will do no such thing!"

Naruto groaned, and his wife nudged him teasingly.

"Say, when we get home, do you want to look into a real vacation for us? I was maybe thinking Disney World; unless you know of someplace better we can take the kids." Naruto offered.

"Are you sure? You've been working so hard lately; I just assumed you would want to stay home and relax."

Naruto shook his head, "As you said, we don't have a lot of time with them and need to make each day count. So you look into the travel deals, and I'll supply the credit card."

Hinata giggled softly before directing her attention back to the kids, but then she whispered tenderly to him, "I love you."

He kissed her temple, "I love you too. Now, let's get some of that cake while the kids are distracted; I'm starving!"

While Naruto wasn't sure what this next chapter in his life had in store for him, whether it be his job, his married life or his kids, he would embrace each day fully as it came, challenges and all.

The End

Merry Christmas, Everyone and have a Happy New Year!