Chapter Seven

"Hinata, I'm back." Sasuke says as he walks into the house.

"How did it go?" She asks and scurries over to his side.

"Kakashi doesn't know anything yet. Is Haru awake?" Sasuke questions.

"No. He's still sleeping." She says with a smile.

"Takes after me then. I'm a Night Owl when given the option, I'd prefer to sleep in till Noon." He states.

Hinata giggles. She couldn't imagine Sasuke lazing around in bed until Noon. Still that was useful information to know.

"What about you? Night Owl or an Early Bird?" He asks.

"Early riser." She answers.

"Good to know. I can get up early, when I have to." He offers.

"It's alright. You don't have to." She says.

"Well since he's asleep...we should probably take advantage of that." Sasuke says and sits on the couch, beckoning her to join him.

"What do you mean?" Hinata questions as she sits down on the couch.

"We still don't know each other that well. We have a son. We can't really afford to be practically strangers." He answers her.

"You're right." She agrees.

"Maybe you should start. You're better at...socializing than I am." Sasuke says.

"Um alright. What would you like to know?" She asks.

"Anything. I guess you could tell me about your Team." The dark haired man suggests.

"Alright! Well Kurenai Sensei is very nice. She's always encouraged me. Kiba is loud. But he's very supportive too. Shino is quiet." She begins.

Saskue nods his head. That is pretty much what he figured. Still it was at least an ice breaker.

"What about your Team?" She inquires.

"Kakashi is...Kakashi. He's always late. I don't think he's ever shown up on time for anything in his entire life. He's a skilled ninja. But it is hard to take him seriously considering he was reading erotic literature with three Genin right there with him. I can't believe they made him Hokage. Naruto, you know. He's loud and loyal to the point of stupidity. Sakura..." He trails off and shrugs, it seemed he wasn't that eager to talk about his pink haired female teammate.

"You are always quiet about her. Did something happen?" Hinata inquires.

"Nothing happened. She claimed to be in love with me. She never was. Sakura was in love with the idea of who she wanted me to be. I resented her when I was younger for being weak. She's stronger now. I can't fault her skills. I know she cares about me, I'm not sure if she still thinks she's in love with me or not. But mostly, when I see her...all I feel is guilt. I put her through a lot of pain. She didn't deserve it." He answers.

"Oh. So you don't love her then?" Hinata asks.

"Hinata, if I loved her, I wouldn't have kissed you. Besides, it's a good thing that I never thought of her that way. Haru might have had pink hair in that case. Can you imagine what sort of torture he would have been subjected to as a pink haired boy?" Sasuke asks dryly.

"Well he could have always dyed his hair." Hinata says with a giggle.

"Good point. But still it would have been humiliating for him." Sasuke replies and rolls his eyes at the very thought that his son could have had pink hair.

"Did you ever want to be anything else, besides a ninja?" She asks.

"The thought never entered my head. I was bred for this. It's in my blood. What about you?" Sasuke replies and returns her question.

"I don't know...I think that I might have liked being a painter or maybe a baker. But I love being a ninja." She says.

"A painter? What do you usually paint?" Sasuke asks.

"People mostly but also nature scenes." Hinata answers.

"Ah. The guy they tried to replace me with, he was an artist. Deidara was an artist. Actually, I think you might be the only sane person that I know of who is artistically inclined." Sasuke muses thoughtfully.

"Sasuke, most people who like to paint are perfectly normal. Maybe you should try it. It'd be good for you to have a hobby that doesn't involve punching people." She says.

"Maybe. I guess it can't hurt. It'd be good to share something in common besides Haru and being ninjas." He says.

Hinata smiles. Sasuke was at least trying. He didn't dismiss her suggestion outright anyway. Knowing him, the fact he was actually engaging in a real conversation, was a miracle by itself.

The conversation continued for awhile. Mostly "safe" topics. Their teams, missions they'd been on, places they had been or would like to go, likes, dislikes, and that sort of thing. Neither was really straying far from what could be considered a "comfort zone."

"I like your hair. It's like silk." Sasuke says after awhile.

He mentally kicked himself for that one. That sounded so lame. But it was true. It was like silk and he did like it.

"Thank you. Yours is...softer than I thought it would be. It looks so spiky. I expected it to be harder." She says and blushes, remembering when she had grabbed onto it.

"Thanks." Sasuke says and runs his fingers through her hair, not sure what to say after that.

Hinata knew they were mostly discussing rather mundane topics. Despite this and the fact that Sasuke was speaking far less than her, she knew that he was paying complete attention to whatever she said. There was a certain intensity in his dark orbs, that was hard to describe. But it was there.

Sasuke for his part, had been perfectly content to just listen to Hinata "babble" about everyday things. It was cute.

She didn't really insistent on him being an equal participant in the conversation. He knew she was a quiet person by nature, but he was even more so. Her quietness was due to shyness, his was just a shield. The less you said to someone, the less they'd be able to hold against you later.

"If he doesn't wake up soon, the bacon will be cold." She says.

"We can always warm it up for him later." Sasuke replies.

It was strange. Sasuke was never really much of a conversationalist. But Hinata's scent and gentle voice had a way of lulling him into a relaxed, almost dreamlike state. So he didn't really mind.

"I SMELL BACON!" Aoda says, peeking his head towards the window.

"Aoda!" Sasuke says, jumping three feet into the air.

"Sorry, Master Sasuke. You know how I love bacon." The snake says.

Sasuke shakes his head. He goes to the kitchen. Grabbing some bacon, he heads to the window. He tosses it to Aoda in the same manner one might toss a doggie biscuit at Fluffy.

"There. Now be quiet. You'll wake Haru up." Sasuke tells him.

"Morning, father." Haru says, stumbling down the stairs and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, Haru. There's some breakfast for you in the kitchen." He tells him and Haru ambles off to the kitchen in search of his food.

"He's so cute when he wakes up. Stumbling around like that." Hinata says.

"Yes." Sasuke nods, agreeing.

"Mother, father can we go swimming?" Haru asks.

"I don't see why not. If your mother is alright with it." Sasuke says with a shrug.

"Sure, that sounds like fun. But I don't have a suit." She says.

"They have a stand by the lake where you can buy one." Sasuke informs her.

"Oh alright. Let's go then." She says, once Haru had finished eating.

"Father, you really like swimming." Haru said as the Uchihas headed to the Leaf's lake.

"Mhm." Sasuke says, his Sharingan already activated and fixated fully on the lovely sight of his wife in a bikini.

"How come?" He asked innocently.

"It's good exercise and the view is beautiful. You'll understand one day when you are older." Sasuke answered slyly and holds Haru's hand, while carrying Sparky on his shoulders.

"Takeshi, don't be such a scaredy cat. It's just water. I'll teach you how to swim." Mikoto said.

"I think I'll just sunbathe." The young Kazekage replied.

"No. I don't think so." She says and pulls the red head into the water with her causing Takeshi to cling to the busty brunette.

"There. See it's not so bad?" She asked with a smile.

"Well...the view is quite nice." Takeshi concedes, having similar thoughts to Sasuke.

"That's a start." She replied and the young Kage is memorized by the beautiful sight of her ruby red Sharingan. (Mikoto enjoyed the sight of a shirtless, strong Kage as much as any girl her age would!)

"Congratulations on making Jonin!" A young teenage girl said to Tai, who was wearing his swimming trunks and a t-shirt.

Tai had learned an important lesson after puberty hit. Keep his shirt on at all times. He was fairly shy and getting glomped by hordes of fan girls was no overwhelming for the introverted intellectual.

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

Tai learned another important lesson after puberty that day. Don't smile at a girl unless you want to marry her. The girl who congratulated him, dragged Tai off and was now babbling happily at him. Yes, at him. She wasn't talking to him. She was talking at him. He felt like...an accessory.

"Poor kid." Sasuke muttered.

Sachi, ever the social butterfly, had already bounded off to join her friends. They were playing volleyball in the water. Damn, Sachi could spike.

Akemi had also scurried off to join her friends. She was now currently playing in a game of tug or war. Sasuke smirks as she pulls with everything she had. She was so competitive, just like him.

"I think I'm gonna go play Tug A War too!" Haru said and raced off to join Akemi's team.

"Well they seem to be having fun. Now it's my turn." Sasuke said and sat down with his wife and youngest son on one of the beach chairs, pulling out a tube of suntan lotion.

"You are just using that as an excuse to feel me up." Hinata said with a giggle.

"Absolutely." Sasuke replied with a smirk.

"Yay!" Haru says and takes his customary place on Sasuke's shoulders. (Which is where he sat whenever Sparky didn't "steal" it first.)

Hinata smiles. She was never going to get used to seeing that. But apparently it was going to be a regular thing. Sasuke didn't seem to mind being turned into a Jungle Gym or a horse for their son. Though she imagined in a year or two Haru would probably grow out of it.

"I'll be right back. I have to get a suit." She says.

"Alright. I have to change anyway. I'll meet you at the water. Haru, do you want to go with me or your mother?" Sasuke asks.

"I'll go with mother! I can help her pick out a new suit." He says proudly.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that." Sasuke says and he heads to the water, confident that no one was going to be dumb enough to attack a crowded lake in broad daylight and if they did, that Hinata was more than strong enough to protect Haru until he arrived.

Hinata takes Haru inside the shop and goes to look at the swimsuits. She was looking at the one pieces. Haru makes a face. That wasn't going to help much.

Haru being an innocent five year old, still didn't understand why older men liked bikinis so much. But he just knew his father was happier when he saw Hinata in one. His Sharingan would activate.

"Father, I'm confused about something." Haru had said one day.

"What is it?" Sasuke replies.

"The Sharingan is used for fighting. But it turns on sometimes when you aren't fighting, usually around mother. I don't get it." He said innocently.

"The Sharingan has other applications outside of battle. When you're older, your Sharingan might activate for a girl or girls. It just means that you really like them." He said.

"But your Sharingan doesn't activate for Mikoto, Akemi, or Sachi." He replied in confusion.

"That's a little different, Haru." Sasuke said and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"But you like them too!" He argued.

"Generally, it doesn't activate for family members." His father informed him.

"How come?" The young boy asked.

"..." Sasuke was left speechless, how the Hell was he supposed to answer that?

"Because you can't marry a family member." Hinata offered kindly, as she walks over to them.

"Ohhh. So if your Sharingan activates for a girl it means that you want to marry her?" Haru asked.

"Well sometimes. Sometimes it just means that you want to..." Sasuke begins to say something but decided in the interest of self preservation it was not a wise idea to finish his sentence.

Hinata was giving him quite the impressive Death Glare. Idly, he mused that he was rubbing off on her. He couldn't imagine Hinata ever pulling off that look when they first got together.

"Well it means that you might want to marry her. A way of your body naturally letting you know that you find her physically compatible." Sasuke amended what he was going to say.

"Oh so that's what it meant when Mikoto's Sharingan activated for Takeshi!" He said happily.

"What what'd you just say?" Sasuke asked.

"Big sister's Sharingan activated for Takeshi?" He repeated.

"Hinata, I think I'm going to have a little chat with our eldest." Sasuke said and darted off.

"Oh boy." Hinata said and shook her head in amusement.

"How about this one?" Haru asks, grabbing a red bikini.

His father's favorite color was red. He liked seeing mother in bikinis. Therefore a red bikini was a good choice. Haru was rather pleased with his logic.

"I don't know about that one. It's a little revealing." Hinata says.

"Lots of the women are wearing them." Haru says cheerfully.

"Well maybe." She says.

"Besides, you are much prettier than the women that are trying to smother father." He adds.

"Smother father...what are you talking about?" Hinata asks.

"Look outside." Haru says.

Hinata looks. Oh this was ridiculous. Yes, the sight of a shirtless Sasuke was definitely something to be admired, but he was getting swarmed. And some of those hussies were barely covered at all. Their swimsuits made the one that Haru suggested look down right conservative!

"I'll get it." She tells Haru, quickly pays for the suit, and goes to change.

Sasuke meanwhile blinks. Oh come on. They should have outgrown this fan girl phase by now. The fact that he could level mountains, didn't scare them off at all? You've got to be kidding him.

"You looked so cute giving him a piggyback ride! He looks just like you!" One said.

"Yes, he does. Now get your hands off my husband, right now." Hinata says.

"Your husband? You aren't married!" The fan girls chorus.

"I meant my FUTURE husband." She says.

Sasuke blinks. Hinata actually looked angry. He didn't know she was capable of being angry to be honest. He almost pitied the fan girls. Sasuke was aware of what the Hyuga's 64 Palm Technique could do and it looked like Hinata was seriously considering using it.

"Well the future can be changed." One of the other women says.

"And I can lock up every chakra point in your body and shove you into the pool. Which seems more likely to you?" Hinata says.

"Sasuke, are you sure you want to be with such a violent woman?" Another asks.

Honestly, for some reason Hinata threatening them was kinda hot. Then again it could just be the red bikini she was wearing. That was nice. Very nice. Wait he should probably focus now.

"She's not violent. If I was in her place, I'd do worse. I'm not interested. Get lost." He says.

"Hmpf!" They say.

"Hinata, did you put on any suntan lotion?" He asks, ignoring the fuming women.

"No." She answers.

"Come on. You and Haru both need it. You both have the type of complexion that burns easily." He says and leads his future wife off.

Haru toddles over. Ah worked like a charm. Nothing got his mother (or his father's) attention faster than someone else looking at their spouse. Both were just so easy to make jealous.

"Here you go, Haru." Hinata says, applying the lotion to his skin.

"Thanks!" He says and smiles.

"Do you know how to swim?" Sasuke asks.

"Yeah!" He answers cheerfully.

"Good. Stay in the shallow end for now." Sasuke warns him.

"Okay." Haru replies.

"Maybe you can find some other kids to play with." Sasuke says.

"Alright!" He says and races off to the water.

Sasuke notices that Haru was swarmed, though less intensely. Though he pawned this off to the fact the other kids likely knew he was from the future. Who wouldn't be curious?

"Red looks good on you." Sasuke mutters and pulls Hinata against him, sitting on one of the beach chairs.

"EEP!" Hinata squeaks.

"You don't want a sunburn." He tells her and starts gliding the lotion over her arms.

"Well no." She says.

"Good." He says and does her neck.

"Mmm." Hinata lets out a soft sigh of pleasure and leans back into him.

"Was it wrong that I found the whole cat fight thing, kinda hot?" He asks.

"You did?" The bluenette questions and blinks.

"A little yeah. Might have just been the bikini though. Like I said, red looks good on you." He answers.

"Th-anks." She mumbles.

"If positions had been reversed, I would have fired off a couple Chidoris." He tells her.

"Sasuke!" She says aghast.

"And aimed below the belt." He adds.

"Sasuke! You are unbelievable." She says.

"No. I'm an Uchiha. We are very protective." He says.

"Protective?! You call threatening to Chidori them in their manhood protective?!" She asks.

"It gets the message across. Traditionally, fireballs are used instead. But I think it adds a personal touch." He continues.

"I'm not sure if you are joking or not." Hinata says.

"I am...mostly." He says and continues applying the lotion.

"Do you want me to get your back?" She asks.

"Alright." He replies and hands it to her.

Sasuke was enjoying his informal backrub. He smiles, watching Haru toss around a beach ball with the other kids. Yes, everything was nice and relaxing. Of course Sasuke should have realized that such a peaceful scene wouldn't last.

"THERE YOU ARE BASTARD!" Naruto says cheerfully and bounds over to him.

"Yes, loser?" Sasuke says and rolls his eyes.

Ahem. The idiot could not see that he was enjoying a nice back rub here from a beautiful woman in a bikini? Did Naruto HAVE to be such a cockblocker? Stupid blonde.

"Kakashi has a possible led on who attacked Hinata's place." His blue eyed teammate says.

Oh well that was different. Sasuke immediately gets up. When he got his hands on the people who were threatening his family, he was going to tear them limb from limb.

"Hinata, take Haru back to the house. I'm going to see what Kakashi knows." Sasuke says.

"Alright." She says and heads off towards the water to get their son.

Naruto heads off. Sasuke flits off after him. The hyper ninja couldn't help but glance back at his teammate.

Sasuke was so different now. He was calmer, happier. Oh and was it his imagination or was Sasuke enjoying that suntan lotion rub down more than he thought?

He never would have pictured them together. But somehow it seemed to work. Hell, if Sasuke wasn't just making it up...they were already kissing and doing other more intimate activities together. Maybe Haru wasn't that far off in the future after all.

"Kakashi, what'd you find out?" Sasuke demands once they are inside his office.

"Nothing good. They are connected to an underground market. It seems that there are civilians who will pay quite a bit of money for "ninja parts." Naturally, eyes like yours and Hinata's would be considered quite the find. Even more so in Haru's case. I'm shocked they were so bold as to attack the Hyuga stronghold though. These aren't your amateur traders. I'd keep him very close to you. They'll probably strike again once they realize he isn't staying with the Hyugas, it is only a matter of time before they figure out where he is. I recommend moving locations." Kakashi offers.

"Yes, that would probably be best. I'll talk to Hinata about it." Sasuke says with a sigh.

He liked having his District be ALIVE again. It was less empty now. Better. But he saw the wisdom in what Kakashi was advising. Sooner or later, they'd realize that Haru was staying at his father's home, not his mothers. It was for his safety and he would do anything to protect his son.

"Good idea." Kakashi agrees.

"It's odd they didn't attack any of the Hyugas. Their eyes might not be worth as much as Haru's but still." He mutters.

"They probably didn't want a real fight. Haru is just a boy. He'd be an easier target than someone trained in the Hyuga techniques." The silver haired ninja offers.

"Maybe." Sasuke agrees and heads back to the District.

"Hinata?" Sasuke calls out.

"I'm here." She says.

"Looks like they were part of a black market for ninja body parts. Haru appears to be their top target. They likely thought he was staying at the Hyuga Estate and that's why they attacked. We should move. They'll figure out that he's staying in the Uchiha District soon enough. I know a place we can go." Sasuke says.

"You're right. I'll help Haru pack." She says.

"Good. I'll start getting stuff around as well." Sasuke says and walks off.

Hinata goes to Haru. She sighs. How was she supposed to explain to a five year old child, that people wanted to cut his eyes out and sell them? She really wished that she could shield him from the gruesome realities of the world. But she knew she couldn't.

"Haru, we are going to go on a trip. I'll help you pack." She says with a smile.

"The bad people are after us, aren't they?" He asks.

"Yes, some very bad people." Hinata admits.

"It's okay. They didn't get me last time, I was here. I don't remember it. But I know I was here before. Another me in this timeline. It's confusing." He says and suddenly he looks dizzy as he tries to understand the fact that multiple timelines were flowing all at once.

"Yes, they won't get you this time either." She promises him and helps him pack.

She couldn't help but glance back at Sasuke. He was tense again. Sasuke had been becoming more relaxed as of late. It hurt her to see him go back to being so guarded. But he had a good reason now. This time though, he wouldn't have to be alone...like he was at the Academy.

Alone. They were always alone. Hinata watches anxiously as she sees two boys fight. One had hair like the sun, another's was black as night. The two boys often fought. Hinata thought it was because they were so similar.

They were both alone. Naruto was kind and would do anything to get attention. Even if it was negative. Sasuke was the opposite. He seemed to want to be left alone, but it was a sad loneliness. Maybe that was why they both fought so much. It was distract.

"YOU ARE SO ANNOYING!:" A younger Sasuke yells at Naruto.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY DON'T YOU EVER PLAY WITH ANYONE?!" Naruto yelled right back at him.

The two Academy students rolled around with each other. They were only seven. So it wasn't as if they could cause real damage. Still Iruka was forced to break them up.

"Sasuke. Naruto. Stop your fighting." Iruka said.

"Never!" They both yelled and to this day, they had kept that promise.

Hinata chuckles. It was true. They still fought like cats and dogs. But she knew that they would do anything for each other.

"Hinata, are you ready to go?" Sasuke asks snapping her out of her memory.

"Yes, I'm ready. Come on, Haru." She says, smiling down at her son.

"Yes, mother!" He says and follows his parents, trusting them completely to keep him safe.