Sweet Dispositions

-Chapter 13-
Different

November 7th. Morning.

HINATA WOKE UP FROM HER NAP, YAWNING.

Hinata turned over and as an instinct, she raced towards the bathroom and perched herself over the toilet, waiting for it to hit her like a train on a track. She was ready. She was ready for whatever she felt today. Good, bad, terrible, worse.

Hinata was so concerned with throwing up, she hadn't realized her stomach... was fine. There wasn't this unending compulsion to throw up. Hinata was in heaven. Ultimate heaven.

No vomit, no problems.

Hinata beamed when she strolled out of the bathroom a free woman. No more morning sickness. What a blessing. The gods must be smiling down at her today. She grinned to herself as she noticed that her tunic shirt was... tighter than usual. It wasn't this tight before.

Hinata looked at herself in the mirror perched on the wall in the hallway. Her stomach was... distended. Maybe she was bloated or something. Was her stomach... bigger? She was used to her boobs getting bigger and sore, her cheeks being puffier, her thighs being bigger. But her stomach was bigger.

Hinata knows that she should get an ultrasound but how... how will she do that? She has to ask sooner or later because of her stomach... was rounded. She didn't look pregnant but there was a certain curvature.

"Your baby wouldn't mind being... seen?" Mitsuyo smirked, catching Hinata in the hall. "Your baby is the size of a peach."

Hinata held her stomach. It felt thick and... soft. At the same time. "My little miracle grew so much."

"That's what babies... do. Your peach sized baby is quite cute. If they don't get your his attitude, you'll be fine, "Mitsuyo clarified. She did see a smile on Mitsuyo's face. "Follow me."

"Why... do you want to... go?" Hinata asked.

Fifty-two minutes later, Hinata and Mitsuyo were at kitchen table. They stared at variously sized peaches as if they were living, breathing babies.

"That's why we spent all morning gathering peaches," Mitsuyo nodded while folding her arms.

Hinata smiled. "Which peach looks like my baby?" Hinata gushed and clapped her hands together. "My baby will be the cutest."

"That's what they all say but... if they have your soul... maybe so. You have a pretty soul, Hyuuga. Never change that!"

Hinata downplayed how huge it was to get a compliment from Mitsuyo. They sat there, thinking of her child and all the possibilities. Hinata cleared her throat.

"And we agree that... we don't eat peaches... anymore, right?" Hinata said.

Mitsuyo laughed but a sadness lined her smile. "Yeah."

¤¤¤

There's the smell of leaves and summertime sun. Birds chirped and bubbles popped, burbling quickly against the gentle current. Sasuke was over a babbling brook on a bridge. The wooden boards smelled musky but clean.

Sacrificed coins glistened in ribbed the glass surface. The lush wildlife dipped its leaves into the pure cool water as if asking for a little refreshment. The monotonous green surrounded him wholly, making for a strip of cover against the outside world.

Sasuke briefly watched his reflected time-lost self image. The many scars that life has given Sasuke decorated his battle-worn body. Sasuke thought about the choices he made in the past.

Sasuke was so focused on his past that he hadn't noticed her creeping around him. Hinata couldn't catch him brooding, which is nice. He's been there since morning. She's kept busy with Mitsuyo's strict schedule.

Meeting beside him, Hinata sat there, genuinely pleased. She released a low breath of awe.

"It's so pretty," Hinata observed the scene.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, looking at Hinata. Beautiful.

Hinata sat with her knees swept under her, a perfect posture and eyes lowered like a perfect hime. Then she accidentally met his gaze.

"Why are you looking too closely?" laughed Hinata, setting a tray down.

"The devil is in the details," Your details, he finished.

Hinata let any of her questions go and looked concerned, her hair tied back with flowers loosely braided into it. She's sitting too close again. Aside from the redolence of flowers overflowing his nostrils, the smell of tea also appeared, consuming the both of them with the spirit-lifting scent.

Sasuke shrugged.

The polished bamboo tray was under the antique tea set for two. The tea looked dark and nutty as always. Hyuuga's perpetually trying new tea flavors, and she obtains different flavors, making him analyze them.

"The tea you brought, which blend did you make today?" Sasuke asked.

"Milk thistle and dandelion tea... I thought you would like it," she said shyly.

Sasuke never told her he didn't like tea, but drank it anyway.

Sasuke didn't like tea after one of Orochimaru's dependents served him a cup of tea and a lone floating eyeball popped out of nowhere.

The tea was sent by Kabuto. Kabuto marched into a genjutsu that was nothing less than terrifying and PTSD-inducing. Sasuke often was mildly poisoned at the hideout. Almost monthly.

Hinata would never do that to him.

Hinata was the opposite of the monstrosity Kabuto was. After all the pungent cups he'd finished, Hinata thought Sasuke was an ardent tea enthusiast like her but he certainly wasn't.

Each time he ached to tell her that tea was nothing better than sawdust, she would be smiling and talking about how hard it was to make the taste just right. Perfect for him. She'd have this sparkling look on her face whenever he'd take a drink and nod to her, not crushing her dreams of owning a tea shop on the hill.

Sasuke reached for the cup, ignoring Hinata's expectant look because he didn't like the guilt.

Hinata's biting her necklace again. She'll wreck her teeth. Hinata wore necklaces and chews on the emeralds, other amethysts, and onyx gems. Her curled bangs are falling across her face again, hiding the edge of her lip.

"How does it taste this time?" she asked, nervous again.

Sweet. Sasuke doesn't like those flowery sweet things. But to take the nervous, flitting smile off of her face would be something like a crime in Mitsuyo's book.

So, he just went with the second best thing and said; "Hn. It tastes... Good,"

She really smiled again. "Oh- that's great! Tomorrow... you must try the lemon balm tea with Mitsuyo and I. She said the leaves are finally dried enough to use."

He looked back at the water, thinking of his past.

"Enough about me," Hyuuga calmed down and tilted her head, holding her cup of tea tightly. "Are... you alright?"

"No," he said.

She frowned.

"Don't pout. I'm never happy. How about you?"

"Untroubled..." she said cautiously. "Our sharingan child... is the size of a peach. A peach. Mitsuyo said the baby'll be cute. And the snow might fall... Autumn seasons end today... in Konoha. In Kumo, it's a never-ending summer afternoon."

"That's good. You deserve peace."

"My mother believed that those who got peace were the happiest. They found the beauty in the ruined and abandoned and began loving themselves or the world again. To feel alright... Clear... your mind and ease your body."

He didn't want to talk about feelings. Rather, he'd drink that tea. He grabbed the wooden cup and drank it, successfully avoiding conversation.

Hinata noticed and shrugged it off. "Autumn is my favorite time of year. My mother loves autumn. It's when my father... finally decided that they wanted to have a December child... Me. Just like our child, the gods knew I was meant to be."

"When the seasons come and go by, what will the Hyuuga say? To the kid?" he asked.

She shrugged, not caring.

"Not to be an ass but your clan is all kinds of messed up. Yeah... but some good came from them," Sasuke admitted.

"What?"

"You."

She laughed lightly. "Flattery."

Sasuke looked down and she cleared her throat. "My clan... they had two ways to inspire peace," Hinata said. "One of the many training strategies implemented by certain Hyuuga is iron palm training. We would take a wide but fairly shallow bowl, fill it with water, hit the water with our palms repeatedly until it was empty, refill the bowl, repeat."

"Why would they make you do that?" he asked, mildly appalled.

"Discipline. Patience. Continuation. If you want to understand the art, try this method on a lake. Rumor has it that my father emptied three lakes the size of the Hyuuga Manor. We spend time repeating the same action in full concentration. The idea is that after a long time this builds up significant palm strength."

"Did anyone actually do it?"

"My protector and bodyguard; Hyuuga Ko. He practiced for a full year because my father said so. It was before I was born."

"You had to be guarded? By a personal bodyguard?" questioned Sasuke.

"As a Hyuuga princess, I was gold. The one continuing the legacy. To be my protector, my father requested the peerless... the supreme. Ko believed it was useless. With time, Ko presented his progress. Once he slapped the water, he split the table in half." Hinata was quiet before she said, "With strength, they also believed in the mind. We practiced meditation."

"Meditation is boring," Sasuke whinged.

"Meditation is what I do for an everyday. It soothes my troubles. Spirituality helps the soul. Everyone wishes to connect through mutualism. My intention for you is to be smooth like water and flow through the rest of the day."

"No,"

"No?" Hinata repeated, blinking.

"I like my anger. It keeps me company." Sasuke said honestly.

"Company? Anger isn't company. It's best to remember, reflect and release."

Remember. Reflect. Release.

"Huh?"

"Let me help you." Hinata laughed.

She sat across from him, smiling and crossed her legs. She motioned for him to do the same.

"The secret to zen is through deep meditation and healing. Be in an alternate world that you will be taken to with my voice. It is safe, fragrant and fluid. I'm your safe place," Hinata said.

Hinata gently took Sasuke's calloused hand. With a nimble, soft finger, Hinata drew glowing, burning patterns on his palm. She stopped with her designs and looked up as if she got caught. She was silently for permission.

Sasuke didn't want her to stop.

"Go on. I'll try it," he blinked, noticing the sensation of her. "How are your hands so soft?"

"They are? No one's ever held them long enough to say... that."

Hn. I'm the first, thought Sasuke. And I'm not willing to share you with anyone.

Hinata proceeded in telling him all these things. It must be illegal to have a voice that sweet. Then her speech stopped.

He looked up.

She... was sleeping. Her chest rose and fell in even cycles. Her hair fell before her eyes, swaying with the gentle draft that carried the nostalgia of that summertime essence.

He reached out and pulled on her hair, taking away the strand that stuck to her lips. He accidentally caressed her cheek.

She sighed softly, leaning towards the stimulation.

Did you know that I'm a little different now because of you, damned Hyuuga? I just don't know why, Sasuke mused with a scowl.

Sasuke let go of the strand and moved away from her. He should... never touch her again... Ever.

He sighed and took her to her room. However, Sasuke hovered and lingered at her door frame, waiting, watching her sleeping form.

At that point, Sasuke couldn't tell what was real. No one's been concerned about him for a while. Was it the hormones or the pregnancy? Was Hinata out to hurt him?

Just why was Sasuke this concerned about her? Yeah, she had her kid but she's still in love with Naruto and he isn't over Sakura.

Well-

What the fuck... What the actual fuck is going on with him?

¤¤¤

Later on, Sasuke went downstairs with his poncho to find Mitsuyo with the same tea at the dinning room table.

"What did you think of the latest concoction?" Mitsuyo asked, gesturing to Hinata's tea on the table. It was in a pitcher.

Sasuke's stomach rolled. Just how much did Hinata make?

"Hn. Not bad," he lied.

"You're too soft on her. The flavor rotted my teeth,"

Mitsuyo brought the cup of tea to her lips. Once she took a sip, she recoiled and sputtered.

"Every time I drink it, I keep on thinking it'll taste better," she laughed.

"Why are you still drinking it then?" Sasuke deadpanned.

"Unlike most people, the girl's too sweet to break her heart. I don't take part in giving her more sorrow," Mitsuyo shrugged.

"You like ruining everyone else's days," he said.

"Oh. True," Mitsuyo brightened. "Very true."

"I'm off," Sasuke nodded to her and turned away.

If he didn't get this mission done soon, he was going to have an earful from the elders of Konoha.

"Off on another voyage, bozu?" Mitsuyo asked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What's it to you?"

"Hinata will be crushed. Now that she's at thirteen weeks of pregnancy- she moved into her second trimester. Her emotions... have stopped swirling like a tempest. Haven't you seen her? She's either crying, yelling or smiling," Mitsuyo sighed.

"She seems happy around me now," said Sasuke thoughtfully.

"Eh. Men are dumb. That has nothing to do with the pregnancy." Mitsuyo shifted, notcing his dark clothes and sharpened sword. "Who are you off to kill now?"

"Osamu. A child rapist and professional human slave trader."

Sasuke was aching to kill the guy. Ever since he's had a child growing in the world, he never wanted nothing more but to kill those bastards who touched children. Stole away their decent purity.

"Oh," Mitsuyo pursed her thin lips. "Fun."

"Yeah. It seems to me that Konoha gives me the jobs that are meant for... men like me." Sasuke admitted randomly.

"Who do you think you are? What- a monster?" Mitsuyo brought the cup to her lips, joking.

"Your words not mine."

Her cheerful smile turned brittle and she sighed. She set the cup on the table and leaned in. "Oh, sit down."

Sasuke shuffled towards her, pulling a chair.  "Don't keep me from my fun."

Compassion was in the gray of her wide, dolce eyes. "You think you're a monster? Ignore the people who say that! Since when do you care about what people say?" Mitsuyo gave him a misty side-glance. "What changed?"

"The people that are my responsibility will hear what I did when I was at the peak of destruction and that made me a monster." Sasuke admitted quite easily.

Mitsuyo stared at Sasuke straight in his unique eyes. "Monster is a powerful word. There is no reason to use it. Monsters are the greed, corruption, and gluttony of this world. A monster is with bloodlust and the sickness of darkness infecting their every thought. You are not one of them."

"What you described was me! I have darkness. I severed bonds and killed without mercy because I liked it. So much so that even the one person who stood up for me turned me away because of it..."

"Is this about... Hinata?"

"No. Hinata doesn't know about it. I'm just a liability to her now," Sasuke sighed. "I'm different."

"Breathe in the future, breathe out the past or else... nothing will grow and flourish. You have done some bad things. Some that are unspeakably stupid. Knowing you now is what I like the most about you."

"What- you're afraid of me now, too?" Sasuke demanded.

"No. And I've seen you with Hinata. You treat her like glass. Have you ever been tender with anything in your whole life? I am not afraid of you," Mitsuyo looked at the tea. "I'm simply saying that you made bad decisions for years. However, it wasn't entirely your doing. Those who didn't have your best interest at heart were closest to you. You were a baby left out in the cold. Gullible and defenseless."

"I am not defenseless."

"Don't you know what makes nectar poison? Those people who never gave a damn should have. They should've changed you into something good, not make you a puppet for their schemes."

Sasuke cringed. Was he just a puppet? He didn't want to be. Fuck.

"Sasuke boy, you're afraid of what you've become. Haven't we all been at a time? If we didn't like it, we changed and cut the strings." Mitsuyo honestly said then laughed, breaking him a little. "And monsters don't drink their pregnant whatever's Kami-forsaken tea."

"Pregnant whatevers?" he asked.

"I don't know what to call her. Niether do you! So a pregnant whatever is perfectly suitable."

"No, it's not."

Mitsuyo shrugged. "Ah, everyone has a good and light side, it's the only thing that dissipates the dark. You're the hope and light because underneath all that darkness is a man trying to get warm."

Sasuke looked at Mitsuyo, oddly grateful. She's the side of his mother and Itachi that he saw infrequently; the rough, disciplining one. Sasuke still liked being around her though, between the drinking and the insults, that is.

Did his... mom laugh a lot? Even at crude jokes?

Probably not.

Why does Mitsuyo want to take care of him? And Hinata. Oh. Her.

"Hn, say that I'll be back. To her," Sasuke shrugged.

"I'll lie and say you held her for a while, just to make her nervous." Mitsuyo laughed.

Sasuke tilted his head. Maybe she's more like him than he thought. Sasuke does hold her for long whiles. He's too used to that...

Mitsuyo's eyes flashed. "I know that she snuck into your bed that first night. Nothing extreme happened. I know that she doesn't like sleeping alone or waking up alone. It's a knife to the heart when you leave like this," Mitsuyo said.

"I don't do proper goodbyes."

"I know," Mitsuyo rolled her eyes. "You should say proper goodbyes anyway. You never know when it's your last time. She'll be sad to death if you don't come back, bozu. It's not just your life you hurt if you die." She held up two fingers. "There are two."

Sasuke nodded. He knew that. He's the one who thought it the most.

¤¤¤

November 7th. Sunset.

Hinata found out that Mitsuyo ran a daycare. She took a month off from taking care of them in her house and worked on the financial part of the Chou Child Daycare. While Hinata didn't mind it, she realized she had no experience with kids. All the kids she encountered were either traumatized or dying. The hospital wasn't a peachy place.

Hinata also realized that Sasuke probably never was around kids either. Sasuke would probably look flustered and frustrated because of the lack of control that he has. She could imagine kids hanging off on him while he just frowned.

There was one wonderful child. Junpei. Very smart, almost like a shinobi but he was inspired by rice crackers. He adored rice crackers and rice. Little grains of his snack would stick to the corners of his mouth. Very cute.

After seven hours of taking care of eight kids with Mitsuyo, she thinks she'll take a nap forever. She collapsed on the bean bag that Mitsuyo ordered for Hinata.

Babies... she never spent time with them. Their laughs were... medicine and their smiles were contagious. They had sticky fingers and working legs. Hanabi was fifteen, not two. She doesn't remember how to soothe them at all. They kept on crying, bursting her eardrums and ruining what cleanliness they have achieved over the four weeks Hinata has been there.

Hinata stood up quickly, trying to help Mitsuyo with cleaning up again. They needed to wax the floors, clean up the spilled milk and all of the toys the kids left around. Mitsuyo kept everything neat and organized. Immaculate.

Oh, here comes the faintness.

She crumpled back down. Since the first trimester of her pregnancy was over, she thought she would have more energy. It was so hard to stay positive at that time. Sasuke should be getting some practice as well. It was her who was having the baby but Sasuke was the one who was inexplicably excited.

She'll be at that level as well.

¤¤¤

November 8th. Night.

Was it the song playing? The only light was dim and coming from the stage. Sasuke sat quietly, wondering why it felt strange to be alone. It was an interesting paradigm shift. It was a dark bar where the bunt of cigarettes mingled with spilled beer. He sipped the last of his bad gin around the one last melting ice cube in his glass. The get up wouldn't be a bar if it wasn't shitty and filled with loud, assaulting men.

A man stalked up to him and sat beside him at the liquor table. "You're Uchiha Sasuke. Your little shit friend killed my brother," he said.

Th stranger was a burly man with shit hair and a shit beard. His rough voice was nails against chalkboards.

"I don't have friends and I didn't kill your brother. If you want justice, take it up with I'm guessing... Suigetsu," Sasuke said nonchalantly, waving away the fly.

Sasuke pushed away his drink, preparing to leave. He dropped twenty ryo onto the liquor table and turned for the exit. Drinking wasn't enjoyable and he felt like he was supposed to be thinking of something... Someone. He wasn't.

The man blocked his leave, a fiery look in his eye and Sasuke narrowed his. Half the noise became lost and movement slowed.

"I do want justice and I think you have something to do with his death. You seem to be the trouble that ruins Konoha. Why Orochimaru wasn't slaughtered is beyond me."

"I didn't have anything to do with your brother's death. Suigetsu and I haven't talked in three years," Sasuke said, ignoring how it suddenly got quiet.

The man stood up straighter, wrath coating his tone. "That's where you're wrong, Uchiha. My brother survived Orochimaru's trails and now the snake has his d-riders kill my brother. What the hell are you people doing?"

"I can't do anything about your brother's death or any of the deaths. We're not Kami and I don't want to do anything."

"Hey- you listen to me, teenage dirtbag," The man grabbed Sasuke's poncho, clutching it with his fists. "If you want to start killing people, start with yourself!"

The air thinned and became frigid. Movement completely stopped.

Sasuke did his utter best not to kill him. Even the slightest reflex would send the stranger six feet under. Hinata told him not to kill but this... This was too much temptation. Do not give way to the anger. Reflect, remember, release.

"If you don't get your hands off of me, I could start with you," Sasuke growled.

He gulped in fear but soldiered on. "Hey dickhead, it's not just my brother. People who are associated with Orochimaru get picked off one by one," he said, shaking Sasuke. "Not only did my brother die but all of his friends as well because of I'm guessing you and Suigetsu are a tag team."

"I've been out of Konoha for three years and I only spent ten days of those three years in Konoha. I wouldn't be caught dead here in the day," Sasuke revealed, laughing with black humor. "If there was suspicion about me I would be hooked up to a genjutsu while they pick out my brains."

"How are you still a free man?" the man asked.

"If you've got a complaint- tell it to the Hokage." Sasuke shrugged.

Kakashi gets, on average, six complaints about Sasuke's 'disruptive' behavior when Sasuke enters Konoha.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke- why aren't you in jail for the deaths of those people you killed?!" 

"Ever thought of me not killing those people? I didn't kill them. Are you sure your men didn't do retarded acts to flipped strong shinobi off? You're making the conditions right for another death," Sasuke paused. "Your death."

The man looked shocked and escaped that, shoving Sasuke back. "They weren't doing anything. They're innocent. Someone's killing them systematically but in a short period of time. Do something about it."

"You want me to help you." Sasuke said, understanding. "Me... Helping you. You've really have dogshit for brains. After you assault me, you ask for my help. How moronic are you? Go to the Hokage."

"You know they won't help people like us," he said. "You shouldn't brush this off, Uchiha. You might be next. You have to sacrifice yourself, anyway. Maybe a bomb'll come for you."

"Hn. Fitting. The person who wants me to die is warning me about death. Irony or foreshadowing. I'm not working with you."

"You'd die before helping me? What kind of man are you?" the man asked.

"An Uchiha that's not dumb," Sasuke hissed. "I'd find a flying pig before I would partner up with you. However, this does apply to me, so I'll investigate. Go to the Hokage, he's willing to listen. If you touch me again, I'll kill you before Suigetsu has a chance to."

"Should I be happy that you didn't kill me? Suigetsu'll just kill me instead."

"I was being generous," Sasuke said. "Don't make me regret it!"

Sasuke left.

When he got to the snowy streets, he noticed a man with fang-tattooed cheeks staring at Sasuke with a fire in his eye that couldn't be smothered. Pure and utter hatred but mostly confusion. Sasuke looked away, feeling like he recognized the man a bit.

He's always gotten those looks since when was this brown haired man different?

¤¤¤

Kakashi was the last person Sasuke wanted to speak to at the moment but there he was, sober and sitting right before the Hokage.

Sasuke doesn't know- it's surreal when he sees his sensei in the desk, with stacks of papers.

It reminds him a lot of the Hyuuga he's supposed to come back to. The room's dim and he feels like he hasn't been in here in a lot of time.

Sasuke wasn't inspired by avoiding Naruto and Sakura to see his sensei. Kakashi has been busting his ass trying to pin Sasuke down to meet.

Sasuke was pinned. Yipee. Not.

Kakashi finally found Sasuke on the peak of the Hokage monuments, wishing to show Hinata them. Sasuke kind of wished he believed Kakashi when he said this was Sasuke's home.

"How is Hinata? Is she boding well in Kumo?" Kakashi asked, concerned.

Sasuke was a little quieter. He's seen her with Mitsuyo. That's good.

Then there's the fact that she is collecting tea types and redecorating the house. She's in love with those Koi fish and named one after her sister, Hanabi. She doesn't mind waxing floors anymore or she keeps up with the damn news in Kumo. She got candles and flowers for all of her rooms. She liked gardening and she's sorting out Mitsuyo's library. She's happy, looking at those peaches again.

"Hyuuga likes it there. She says it rains too much," Sasuke shared, thinking about it.

"That's all you have to say?" Kakashi asked, a little disappointed.

Kakashi was looking for something more. Fishing. Why didn't Kakashi know that there were pieces of Sasuke's mind, thoughts, and personality that Sakura and Naruto couldn't have? It drove them mad.

"Nothing more than what I could have said in a letter," Sasuke responded.

Sasuke's been dodgy. This was a happy end, they met. Sasuke doesn't know why Kakashi wants to meet up with him so often. And there's sympathy sitting in Kakashi's eyes.

Sasuke hated that look.

"Sasuke... you and I both know that this can't be discussed with letters," Kakashi shot back with the infamous cool guy act.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed. "I know but what you think of my plan isn't right. It'll work."

Kakashi had a certain sigh for him, as did Sakura. Sasuke's noticed it nowadays. He doesn't know how to feel about that. He shouldn't give a damn about that but here he is, caring.

Fuck.

Kakashi looked sincere as he leaned in, trying to get some understanding from Sasuke. "We cannot put in the research or time into finding other sharingan users. Especially not with how the economy is a disaster right now."

"Konoha should be on its feet."

This place is... Konoha after all.

"Frankly, it isn't," Kakashi responded tiredly.

Kami, Kakashi looked aged. Kakashi suddenly took a moment, swimming in his personal agony in his mind.

Sasuke was delusional when he said that he wanted to be Hokage. Seems like too much work. He has other things to focus on. And what would Hinata think of him just being at the office all day? Sasuke would be late for whatever experimented meal she concocted and his kid-

Wait, no.

Sasuke erased that thought.

"Hn. Is it because of the war?" Sasuke asked, knowing that he shouldn't trouble him anymore by pressing.

Sasuke knew he could make people go psychotic because he's overbearing and manic. Kakashi and Sasuke have been arguing about the same things. It's enough to make him feel crazy. Kakashi's suffered enough abuse about this.

"The economic situation in Konoha is none of your concern. You have a kid on the way. That's more important than your hunt for other sharingan users. It's a lost hope..." Kakashi's eyes crinkled.

Sasuke felt the urge to argue and maybe shake some sense into the lightning cutter but he couldn't. Sasuke was having a kid but he's in deep with this search. He's thought about it every night this week. It was Konoha's loss to find the sharingan. He swears there must be others. He shouldn't be the last and-

Sasuke took one deep breath.

Remember. Reflect. Release.

Since Sasuke couldn't get the Hokage on board, he's going to get better, undercover help. It would have been nice on Sasuke's end to find stray Uchiha as military aid and a secret weapon. The lucrative family was his and he's passing up a huge opportunity.

So, Sasuke'll do this under the table. The best work is done by himself. He'll watch them serpentine when everyone knows about the live Uchiha.

Sasuke nodded secretly making more plans, not liking that he changed the subject. "Hn."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, his gears turning. "Why did you choose Kumogakure? You didn't want to stay in Konoha but Kumogakure is not a place to retreat to. You do know of Hinata's history with Kumo."

Sasuke sat up, wondering what the hell he meant. "Hinata has a history with Kumo? She's never been there."

"Sasuke, you didn't do your research on the Hyuuga, didn't you?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. "What research?"

Kakashi dove into an explanation. "When Hinata was three, an unfortunate incident occurred between the two villages that almost started a war. They now call it the Hyuuga affair. Kumogakure has shown interest in obtaining the byakugan for years, and they took action. They attempted to kidnap the former heiress. It wasn't successful but it did result in two deaths, the death of the uncle of Hinata and the man who infiltrated the Hyuuga estate. Hinata was safe but it has been encouraged for all Hyuuga to remain in Konoha due to the great nation's mal intentions for the users."

Great. Just fucking great. Hinata's in more danger because of her eyes. Fuck his life. Does Sasuke have to find another place to live?!

"I'll give you fewer missions so you could be with her and your child. Does Hinata have protection aside from you?" Kakashi said.

"There's a caretaker that I've gotten for her but she's no use. No one else that I know would like to stick around with her," Sasuke said, thinking of the options.

"If she were in Konoha, I could provide her with protection," suggested Kakashi.

"Che. I'm not going to stay in Konoha, Kakashi! I've lost one too many people to this place and I don't want the body count to be elevated," Sasuke said. "The council... elders no people hasn't the fondest opinion of Uchihas."

"Sasuke, I know that you want to protect her and your unborn child but staying in Kumo is not worth it. It doesn't benefit any of you in this situation. The Hyuuga will want to know about Hinata's whereabouts sooner or later. More likely that sooner is when they'll want to see her."

"Faking mission data is easy and I took all the precautions and you helped out. And no one in her precious clan gives a damn about her. If she goes missing- they wouldn't bother investigating," Sasuke said.

"Many people would notice her absence. As Hokage, it is my job to ensure that all the clans cohabitate in peace. Hinata is more than important. If the clans suspect anything, they won't assume that you did anything. They will turn on each other and that's how one stirs civil war."

Civil war...

"Hn, civil war. Didn't know that she meant so much to Konoha," Sasuke shrunk in his seat.

"Kakashi... I am risking Hinata's child if we come back. We usually let the clans dictate their own actions, rituals, and traditions but I don't want my child... the next sharingan child to perish under the eyes of the byakugan."

"The seal... cannot be avoided," Kakashi said, sympathetic.

Sasuke allowed it. For a moment.

"I can't take her out of Kumogakure now. She's in her second trimester and I feel-... she adapted to Kumo. The sharingan is... what I want to achieve. My bloodline cannot die out. It is my responsibility that she survives. I'll protect her. Who else would?"

"There is a village nearby to Konoha and she could stay there while getting support from her family and the ANBU that will-"

"I don't trust the ANBU or Sai," Sasuke said. "I angered a lot of people when I sided with the Akatsuki and who better to take it out on then my child and Hinata?"

"You have to stay. Sakura and Naruto would appreciate it,"

"Who cares about them?" Sasuke demanded.

Kakashi sighed the Sasuke sigh once again.

"I'll figure something out," Sasuke promised. "And they wouldn't. Not for me."

Sigh. There goes that certain sigh for him again.

Kakashi nodded. "What if you discuss with the Raikage? There is some way we could reach a deal."

Sasuke held back a snarky comment and chose the kinder, more rational words. "I made the man lose a hand and I attempted to kill his brother. He will be less than thrilled to find me in his village," Sasuke chuckled.

Good times.

"Then why did you choose Kumo?" Kakashi questioned.

Pause. "I have reason to believe I have family there."

"You think there are sharingan users in Kumo? That's impossible."

"Hn."

Sigh number four. "I do not condone your trespassing or illegal movements. In spite of that, I give you permission to live in one of Orochimaru's hideouts. All of his files/experiments are destroyed and the area is viable for... Hinata's case."

"I could stay in a hideout for life but Hinata wouldn't like it. It isn't safe," Sasuke said, disagreeing. "She knows the lavish and people waiting on her hands and feet. She wouldn't be pleased with the people found in the hideouts as well."

"Info concerning the mission she's currently performing- I'll find a way to cover up her disappearance. She will be back in a year."

"Yeah. Next October," Sasuke said, remembering when Mitsuyo was willing to let her offspring go. "Unless she doesn't want to go, demands it then I won't leave. Hell, it's unlikely but that's what could happen."

"Keep her safe," Kakashi said as Sasuke turned to leave. "There is another thing I want you to investigate."

"I'm not working with Shai or Sai. Whatever his name is. It didn't work," Sasuke complained, tone acidic. "None of those stupid team building exercises worked. I almost lost an eye."

"Sasuke- you eventually have to work with him. We went off on a tangent. This mission applies to you directly. It's about Nami no Kuni."

"Is it about Gato? I heard that he had a son. Awful bastard he is. He'll be a problem but his cult won't have the numbers to do any damage."

"Gato has a son, yes, but he's a lesser problem at the moment," Kakashi explained. "There have been shinobi being sent to Nami no Kuni on a regular basis, defending the territory from what seemed a deranged group of rogue shinobi."

"Why aren't we taking them out?" Sasuke asked. "They're ragers with archaic kinds of fun. I was a rogue shinobi. They're problems. We're problems."

Kakashi shook his head, his mask covered face, showing signs of distress. "These shinobi haven't been a difficulty till presently. There are countless sorts of rogue shinobi in this matter. Konohagakure shinobi have struggled with attaining them and or/containing them. They seem to be past operations of Orochimaru," Kakashi said. "Most shinobi speculate this behavior is the repercussion and psychological, mental and emotional trauma mainly... effects of being tested on. They have symptoms of hysteria, increased chakra levels, signs of violent attitudes and high-risk behavior."

"What does this have to do with me?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.

Kakashi opened his mouth.

"I'm not going crazy if that's what you're saying! If I show any signs of it, Hinata will catch it. Otherwise, you can't lock me up with the rest of the crazies. No therapy," Sasuke said, knowing a migraine will set in. "I will visit Nami no Kuni and pray that it has nothing to do with Orochimaru."

"If you feel any differently, tell us," Kakashi said. "I trust you enough to do that."

"Hn," Sasuke said, wariness coating him.

Before Konoha acts, I have to find Suigetsu. What the hell is Suigetsu up to? Why do I have to be a damn spy? Fuck, Sasuke thought. Knowing Suigetsu- it may be bad.

"Meet me again in two weeks and we'll deal with the reports of what's going on in Nami no Kuni," Kakashi said.

Sasuke thought for a moment and shook his head. "A month because I think traveling will take longer. I have more things than I realized on my agenda."

Sasuke sighed, got some paper, a pen and wrote a note. He summoned a hawk and sent a message to meet.

"Kakashi. I need another favor. I want to see more of the Uchiha's items in the vault."

Sasuke nodded. Maybe he wasn't such an outsider to his clan if he at least tries to get to know what they were. Maybe. Just a couple of books and maybe one or two things for Hinata. Maybe a lot.

¤¤¤

After Sasuke released the sealed body of Osamu and had yet another awful meeting with Shai (Sai)... at an agreed location. Sasuke walked over to Tsunade's hospital after assurinf that Sakura wasn't there about a million times.

Senju Tsunade was in her office, leaning against her desk, arms crossed.

"I've been wanting to talk to you, Sasuke," Tsunade said. "Many people are wanting to get their hands on my genius bio-miracle. I've been trying to grow it for other people. The option of using the engineered prosthetic arm is open and I can have Sakura get it for you. It may take months to mature, though. It's perfect and you get full arm movement and feeling too."

"I don't want it," Sasuke said, as he's been saying for the past three years.

Tsunade narrowed her honeyed amber eyes at Sasuke, suddenly unimpressed. "Then why are you talking to me again? I have patients to meet and you're just wasting my time," snapped Tsunade as she drank some coffee, put it down and went to the door to escort him. "Leave."

"No, I'm approaching you about something that only you can answer," Sasuke said.

"This must be medical," she said, cautious to proceed. "Sasuke, if you have any sicknesses that aren't treatable- Naruto will have my head," she halted, worry in her eyes.

Why does everyone think I'm sick? I am but not in that way... Sasuke quietly mused. Maybe I am sick. Hn. From the outside, they must be wondering about me.

"I'm not dying," Sasuke lifted his gaze to Tsunade. "I'm interested in advancing my bloodline. The sharingan isn't known as a recessive or dominant trait. And with the Hyuuga clan-"

She interrupted him with a shrill, demanding but bubbly laugh that came from deep within. "Sasuke- you are not able to get anywhere close to the Hyuuga especially with your background," Tsunade laughed wholeheartedly.

"I'm serious about this," Sasuke declared, offended at her reaction.

Tsunade crossed her arms and recovered from her fit of hysteria. "The Hyuuga is a royal family and the strongest clan in the Leaf Village. They are the most powerful politically and financially, they're one of the most prominent parts of Konoha's fame. You will not be seeing a Hyuuga unless it's at the cemetery."

"At least give me a chance to explain," Sasuke said calmly.

"I know what you are suggesting and it's bogus. Ludacris. To make an even more enhanced bloodline of the next future generations and you want the Hyuuga to do it. The Uchiha didn't like Konoha and the Hyuuga didn't appreciate the Uchiha's public appearance because of political reasons," she shook her head, disconcerted with the possibilities. "It wouldn't work. There is no chance of you getting near to a Hyuuga, much less a match for your ass. There have never been any children in shinobi history with the Hyuuga clan's characteristics without the DNA of both Byakugan wielders."

"The Hyuuga are a paramount clan. How are none of them sneaky as well?" Sasuke demanded. "No one knows if there's rogue Hyuuga. My kind of person on the fringes."

"If they managed to flee or escape there is a chance that the Hyuuga would have them executed," she said, sorrow and worry in her eyes.

"Executed," he winced.

"Anyhow, a rogue Hyuuga isn't very likely. The Hyuuga engage in highly reticent behavior about their Byakugan. They are barred off and profoundly secure with their secrets," Tsunade revealed. "The Hyuuga who do not mold to their norms are not considered outsiders but betrayers and the special few mavericks would never crack under the pressure the elders give them. Instead of outing them, they used the seal as their best weapon. History suggests, no Hyuuga would dare to marry or give birth to an outsider's offspring or leave their clan for that sake,"

Sasuke lowered his voice. "I'm not talking about that. I don't want to marry them. Ever. I just want to know should that happen, would it be possible that the sharingan or the byakugan would be a dominant or recessive trait?" Sasuke said. "All I'm looking for are answers."

"In your case- the most desirable trait would be the sharingan... So, hypothetically speaking, with a Hyuuga- the user must be the daughter of two byakugan users with the ability to activate it. It is tradition to marry another byakugan user for inter-clan marriage and if you procreate with a Hyuuga... There is a lot of implications but I am sure that the child may have. Wait- given the basis of survival of the fittest, the sharingan is from an advanced bloodline, I imagine that you do not want to dilute the power of your clan's eyes with a lesser version," Tsunade huffed.

"It is true that the sharingan is significantly more powerful than the Byakugan but the Hyuuga have more desirable partners because of their eyes," Sasuke explained. "Hypothetically speaking, the child will be able to use both eyes at will or they will have a hybrid form of either the sharingan or the byakugan or a devolved version of both eyes."

"Don't stick your neck out if you know they're going to say 'no' from Konoha and especially the elders," she said.

"I don't care what the elders think," Sasuke said, scowling.

Tsunade laughed and it was cheery. "I wish I could tell them to go shove it but they have too much influence. Tradition has too much influence. And we have to find out which eye is recessive. If I am thinking about it correctly, I believe that... perhaps fifty-percent of your male offspring can activate the sharingan. All females will have the sharingan gene but only half can activate the sharingan."

"What about the byakugan?" he asked.

She raised a blonde eyebrow. "What?"

"If Hiashi wants a byakugan child- then what?"

Tsunade sighed, thinking for a while. "I believe that perhaps at least fifty percent of your children will be able to activate the byakugan."

Sasuke thought about what their kid's eye would look like. He felt the ghost of a smile on his face as a result of his daydreams. Then again, might be caused by the hospital smell.

"Do the calculations of mine bend to your whims?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded, pleased to be hearing something other than negative.

"Dojutsu genetics are difficult and it's not like this will be able to happen in real life. I believe that there are a lot of 'ifs', 'perhaps' and 'maybes' and that alone is very dangerous but it's science," Tsunade laughed.

Sasuke sighed.

"And Sasuke, I know that you do not like to speak about it but perhaps I can test for any diseases. You have been skipping your sessions, Sasuke. Itachi had hemoptysis, and I just want to know if you have anything that will get from using the rinnegan, mangekyo sharingan... or simply from your chakra- since chakra diseases are common now. Some causes of hemoptysis are acute and chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, lung cancer, pneumonia, and bronchiectasis-"

"Just test me- whatever. I'll do the damn check-up," Sasuke grumbled.

Oh how he hates being a fucking guinea pig.

¤¤¤

Late in the night, an even layer of white frost was thrown over all of the plants. The wind howled, the stars concealed by ash gray clouds. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then.

He was left in a mood and it's snowing. He fucking hates snow. It's nothing like this in Kumo. Damn you, Konoha. He noticed the gloved hands and thicker coats. Cold. Gray. Dark. He hasn't any gloves and his thumb was turning blue.

Winds of regret hit him while out. How did Hinata manage to catch trouble? She was the girl that mothers don't warn their sons about. And- what if they find her byakugan? She'll have to stay inside and update the seals around Mitsuyo's forest.

Sasuke sighed, questioning why Hinata preferred Konoha to anywhere else. It filled him with catastrophic affliction. It's where his family died, where his brother slayed his clan.

He reminisced about it; Sakura and Naruto. He aspired to meet his old teammates then he wanted to run away and hide for a while. He wanted to wash his cuts and let the salt dry. Maybe then he'll finally find that peace Hinata talks about too much.

He walked through the streets, reflecting. It'd have been a great story to tell his kids that he'd reconciled with them. It's hard to look Naruto when Sasuke's fantasized about Naruto's wife. It was even harder to look at Sakura since she's said those words to him on her wedding night.

Wedding night.

Nothing advances in this situation.

Sasuke wants to talk to Sakura- speak the things he's never got the opportunity to say the first time. He saw her, Naruto's arms around her. It's laughable. Sakura still makes him guilty when she walks in the room. He's like the boy from the academy again. He remembers everything they've said and done ever since they were kids.

He was dense but he didn't love her anymore.

He realized why it felt so strange; he wasn't drinking over Sakura. She was the reason he'd drink till his body was hypotonic. Sasuke put all his eggs in one basket, he's not going to get anything for doing this.

And that wasn't the worst thing about Konoha. Ever so often, he'd get different types of glares. Most people walk quickly and shuffle away.

He has to visit Nami no Kuni, visit those raging shinobi to know whether or not they're dangerous. Sasuke has to visit Suigetsu and on top of that, figure out if he's insane.

Un-fucking-believable.

He passed by some bakery, lost in his own thoughts.

He stopped and breathed on the window, wondering if the Hyuuga would like them. What was the damn name of the bakery? She talked about it. Nonstop for a while. What the hell was the name.... Ayanomiya. Ayan Omiya's Bakery. Was this the bakery? No. But it was a bakery. Maybe then she wouldn't cry about the cinnamon buns. He said he would get her any of them. Hn. He went in and bought a pack. Maybe she'll like this. Hn. Perhaps.

¤¤¤

-End Chapter-