1,300Edit: Well, i edited it. Yup. I'm not going to say much except that i combined the second and third chapter. Yup. There might be a few mistakes.
The sound of a small whimper met Sasuke's ears and he automatically glanced down to Seto. The boy was still sleeping, much to Sasuke's confusion, and the teen wondered if Seto was having a nightmare or something. However, this didn't seem likely because the boy looked completely comfortable, resting peacefully in his arms.
Sasuke blinked and then turned to find the source of the noise. Though it took less than a few seconds for Sasuke to locate Sakura standing almost directly behind him, it felt so much longer to Sakura, who was still frozen in shock. It was then Sasuke's turn to freeze.
They stared at each other for a long moment, both at a loss as to what to do next. Sasuke finally tore his eyes away from hers and took in her appearance. To say that she was pretty would be an understatement. She had grown, he noted dimly, into a gorgeous woman. She still a small thing, but naturally taller than she was before, probably a full head shorter than him. Her hair had grown to about shoulder length and she still had the same large, expressive, dazzling emerald eyes. She was wearing a t-shirt, he noticed and a pair of shorts. She shirt was relatively loose but clung to her in such a way as to let Sasuke know that her figure had changed without really showing off her goods.
Sakura, sensing that he was eyeing her, blushed but couldn't bring herself to try and say something. Instead, she looked away in embarrassment and nervousness, hoping for the awkward moment to end quickly.
Tsunade decided to step in that that moment, seeing that neither had anything to say to each other for one reason or another. Sensing that she should get this moving, she gently placed her hand on Sasuke's shoulder and then cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "Well, Sasuke, why don't you head down to the Uchiha Compound and get settled in. Do you have any of the necessities, like clothes and food?"
He stared at her for a moment, seeming to try to collect himself. He nodded after a long moment. "Yeah. I brought some for the both of us. I have about a day's worth of food and a few days of clothes. I'm going to need to go shopping but we'll be fine for today."
She nodded. "Good. Go home and then you can catch up with friends later," she said, diving him a gently nudge.
He nodded and glanced at Sakura quickly before he walked passed them, intent on getting home as soon as possible. His arms were going numb from holding Seto for so long and he wanted to get the boy into a proper bed.
As soon as he was out of sight, Sakura turned to stare at her sensei in obvious confusion. She thought the encounter over in her head, realizing for the first time that he had said 'we' instead of 'I'. But in her confused and shocked state, she had failed to notice the sleeping boy in his arms. Instead, she mind immediately jumped to a girl that he had brought home with him.
Her sensei eyed her, seeing this devastated look on her face. from the looks of it, Sakura was having a hard time stand as she swayed slightly, and she was clutching her heart. Shizune and Tsunade both grabbed a arm and gently towed her into the older woman's office and sat her down. "Now don't jump to conclusions. I have to explain the situation to you," she began.
xOx
Sasuke and Tsunade had talked for a pretty good amount of time and the streets were a lot busier now. At first, no one seemed to notice him but as he got into the denser populated areas, people began stopping what they were doing to stare. Quiet murmurs filled the air around him and Sasuke felt the eyes of every person on him.
He was used to stares by now. Even when he was young, people stared and talked, in the Sound it was no different. But when he was little, people eyed him like train wreck, a spectacle. In the Sound, people eyed him with a mixture of respect and dislike. Now, they eyed him in hatred and disgust.
Sasuke kept his stare straight ahead, not acknowledging the people around him. Holding the sleeping child to his chest, he remained strong and quickly made his way through the crowds to his new home. It was a simple logic, he noticed; it wasn't a good time to be a Uchiha right now.
He was severely happy when he entered the Uchiha Compound and he was lone again. Going deep into the grounds, he eyed the houses, looking for one that was big and relatively livable. After the massacre, he had moved into an apartment to get away from the Compound. But now, he knew it would be better to stay in the Compound, as long as he stayed away from the Grande Uchiha Manor. Now it was just a matter of choosing which house to live in.
Soon he came across his Aunt's and Uncle's old home. It was pretty big. If he recalled correctly, it had five bedrooms, two and a half baths, a large kitchen and dining room, a good sized living room, an office, a storage room, and a nice large backyard to train in with a patio. It was small compared to the Grand Uchiha Manor that he used to live in as a child with his family, but it would do nicely for two.
It was weird entering it after so many years. He remember clearly entering almost daily through the same doors and rushing to the kitchen, where his aunt always was. His uncle, he remembered, was usually in his office, the backyard, or lounging in the living room. It was odd to be back now and not rush to the kitchen, to not smell the warm, delicious food cooking as soon as he entered, to see the many signs of neglect and abandonment on the interior.
It was dirty and covered in dust and cobwebs. The good thing was no one had set foot in the Uchiha Compound since his own departure of the place so the furniture was still present and various house hold items. Sasuke glanced around then slowly made his way into the living room where he dusted the couch off quickly and laid Seto down.
His arms ached terribly and he stretched them and tried to get blood flow to ease the ache, it didn't work well. And his arms wasn't the only thing aching. With the boy out of his hands, his body protested loudly and demanded some rest. Unfortunately, he ignored this and located the cleaning supplies. He had a lot to do before he could even think about resting.
xOx
Sakura stared at her sensei as the words slowly sank in. Her mind whirled as she tried to process the fact that anyone had left Sasuke Uchiha- the emotionally constipated prodigy who cared for only himself- in charge of a kid. And from what little Tsunade could tell her, Sasuke seemed to be really attached to the boy. Every thought and belief from recent years rejected this idea.
"Sakura, as you are aware, Sasuke may need some help caring for this child. It is for this reason that I want you to help him. You, Naruto and Kakashi were the only ones to get close enough to Sasuke and will probably be the only ones to be able to really help him," Tsunade said calmly, staring at her student in a overly business-like tone that Sakura didn't like.
A weird feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, like thing bad was going to happen. "But why me? Naruto and Kakashi were way closer to him than I ever was. Why can't they do it?"
Tsunade eyed her like it was an obvious thing. "Are you kidding me? Naruto and Kakashi can barely take care of themselves. It is amazing that the two have survived this long alone," she said and then suddenly switched her tone to a calmer, more persuasive tone. "You are a people person and are great with kids. You are the best for this task."
Sakura chewed on her lip. While there was no denying that her sensei as right, it still did not ease the discomfort of having to face him again. She sighed suddenly, cursing herself for being selfish. She has been given the job to help a child in need and she was hesitating because of some awkwardness.
Tsunade eyed her. "So do you accept?" she asked, though Sakura hardly had a choice.
She sighed again and looked at her teacher. "Yes," she all but whispered.
Tsunade smiled wickedly. "Good," she said and then handed the teen a scroll. "Give this to Sasuke, it explains the situation, and then you can begin to move your things to the Uchiha Compound today. I've arranged everything already. He's expecting someone to move in with him, and I'm sure he will be happy that it's you and not some strange ANBU."
A eerie silenced filled the room for a moment as Sakura processed what she was just told. "Excuse me?" she asked after a long moment, unsure she heard her right.
"I said you can give that scroll to Sasuke and then move in with him," she repeated.
Sakura stared blankly at the blonde woman in front of her. "You want me to move in with him?"
Tsunade nodded calmly. "Yes."
"You want me to move in with him?"
"Yes," she repeated.
"You want me to move in this him?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Sakura, I will not tell you again."
"You want me to move in with him!" she exclaimed, it finally seeming to sink in. "What! I can't! My parents will never allow it! And it's Sasuke we are talking about! I can't live with him!"
Tsunade rubbed her temples and waited for Sakura's breathing to slow before she tried to persuade her to listen. "Sakura, Sasuke is a boy who grew up alone with limited personally contact with people. He now has no choice but to care for a child and there is only so much he can do by himself. You are the best for the job."
Sakura interrupted her here. "But why do I have to move in with him?"
Tsunade glared for being interrupted but answer the question none the less. "Because he is a traitor. Not only is your job to help with the boy, but you are to watch him too, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. He seems sincere but I can't risk it.
"As for your parents, I have sent them a scroll explaining the situation. Since this is considered a mission, they have no say in where you are to live if you accept this mission. Now knowing all of this, are you willing to accept this mission?"
Sakura was silent for a long moment before sighing. "Yes, I accept this mission." she said in an solemn voice.
Tsunade smirked, clearly happy that she won. "Good. Now there is one more thing you should know. Under no condition are you to tell anyone that the kid isn't Sasuke's. Sasuke wants as little people as possible knowing that Seto is Itachi's son. To everyone of little consequence to the situation, they will only know that Seto is Sasuke's son."
Sakura nodded while she stared at the scroll in her hand. Tsunade put a fake smile on her face. "You are dismissed." Sakura nodded and slowly exited the room.
Going straight to the Uchiha Compound, her mind whirled in circles the entire time she walked. One moment she was mentally preparing herself for a relaxing weekend and then the next she has to start thinking about getting boxes for all her crap. It was hard to grasp and she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little afraid.
Coming across the Uchiha Compound, she tried to push the thoughts away so she could focus on trying to locate the house she was going to be living in for god knows how long. She went deep into the Compound, having a feeling that he would wan to be farthest away from the general population as possible. It wasn't hard to spot the one house with the light on in one of the rooms.
She walked over to the door and knocked lightly. With her nerves making her stomach flip the entire time, she waited for a minute before she knocked again a little louder. When no answer came, she took a deep breath and knocked again. Except this time, the door opened and her fist did not make contact with the wood and instead a very toned chest.
Realizing that she just knocked on his chest, Sakura open her mouth to spoke but couldn't think of what to say. Blushing deeply, she froze in total mortification. Sasuke blinked, completely unaffected by it. He stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.
Stepping inside slowly, Sakura watched as Sasuke disappeared through a doorway of a room to her right. She removed her shoes at the door and pushed them to the side, glancing around her. From what she could see, the house was dark and dirty. The air felt stuffy from being closed off for so long and everything in view was covered in dust.
Sakura followed Sasuke into the room, seeing that it was the kitchen and dining room. It had been cleaned, she noticed right away. It was huge, probably smaller than her family's living room, kitchen and dining room combined. Half the room was the kitchen area, consisting of a large counter area that wrapped along the back wall, a refrigerator, stove and oven, and an island. The other half had a large table that looked like it could expand to fit at least ten comfortably by adding the leafs, which were leaning against the wall on the other side. The room had various cleaning products spread around and the air was much fresher because the windows were open and a breeze was filtering in.
"Would you like something to drink? There's water, but that's about it. I haven't gone shopping yet," he said while he rummaged through a small bin with cleaning supplies in it. After a moment he produced a rag and wiped down his hands.
"No, I'm fine," Sakura said as she stepped forward and produced the scroll from her bag that was hanging from her shoulder. She held it out to him. "It's from Tsunade."
He eyed her quickly, seeing her very business-like stance, and then threw down the rag on the counter before he gripped the scroll. Sakura waited patiently as he read it over. Though he portrayed no emotions, he inwardly chuckled at the situation. The air was so tense between them that it was almost suffer caring and now he finds out that she is to move in with him to baby sit him and Seto.
With a deep breath, he closed the scroll and looked to his new roommate. She was now staring past his shoulder in order not to be looking at him. Sensing his stare, she looked up and smiled awkwardly. "So . . . , there you have it,"
He nodded in agreement. "There you have it," he repeated, while staring at his feet. He looked up and leaned against the island. "When do you plan to move in?"
She blinked, not expecting him to be the one to start up the conversation. He stared at his face, seeing that he was trying to make the situation easier. She puffed out her cheeks and blew out her air slowly. "Um, I haven't actually thought about it. Well, I guess I could head over to my house now and start packing. I'll return later tonight and bring whatever I have packed."
Sasuke nodded, mentally noting that he could clean hers and Seto's rooms next. They would need a place to sleep so after the kitchen is done, that's his next priority. Then the bathroom. Then, if he had time, his own bedroom. And laundry, he had to do that.
Sakura smiled, noting that Sasuke wasn't paying attention to her anymore and was thinking intently about something. She cleared her throat and he snapped his attention back to her. She slowly took a deep back. "Well, I'll see you tonight, then."
"Yeah," he said lamely before she flashed him a parting smile and turned and exited the room. Letting herself out, she headed towards her parents home, forcing herself to focus on the task of packing instead of the handsome raven haired teen.
She made it home quickly, considering that her home was on the opposite side of the village. Opening the door and grabbed the mail from the mailbox by the door. Leafing through them quickly, she closed the door and set her keys and bag down on the table by the door like she usually did. Deciding that the mail was nothing of importance, she tossed the envelops onto the table as well before moving to the living room.
Plopping down, she rested her feet on the coffee table and stared at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to relax for a moment. She sighed and quickly gave up trying to achieve this. Instead she decided to focus on the fact that she is going to give her parents heart attack when they return home.
Her father is really strict. He says she isn't allowed to date until she is eighteen and he must meet the 'suitor' and must approve of him before they can date. And Sakura knows that as soon as her father finds out that she has moved into a man's house, for a mission or not, he's going to assume that she is in a sexual relationship with him. And to make things much worse, her father doesn't like Sasuke to begin with.
She let out a frustrated scream before sinking lower into the couch, and covering her face with her hands. Sitting like this for about twenty minutes, she finally sighed and got up, her mind set on the task of packing.
xOx
Seto's eyes slowly fluttered open. After a moment to adjust, he slowly sat up and looked around. He was on the couch, wrapped up in the blanket in such a way so to keep him from getting dirty. The couch and the furniture around him was all covered in dust and dirt, the air hot and stuffy.
He looked around, seeing a light coming from the room across the hall. He stood up slowly and hesitantly made his way over. He had been told many times to stay by Sasuke's side and now, without him in sight, he was afraid.
He leaned against the wall and peeked into the well-lit room. Glancing around quickly, his eyes met Sasuke's form standing by a counter, wiping his hands on a rag. Without stopping to look around farther, he sprinted as fast as his little legs could take him.
Sasuke heard the loud footsteps of an untrained child as tossed the rag down quickly. Turned around at the right moment, he caught Seto just in time as the boy tried to scrapper into his arms. Sasuke smirked and hugged the boy tightly.
When they released each other from the hug, Seto took the time to look around. With wide eyes, he stared and looked around in wonder at the big and bright room. "Where are we?"
Sasuke smiled, watching the childish innocence play across the boys face. It had been a long time since he had shared the same innocence, and even longer since Itachi had. Looking at Seto now, Sasuke could see the Uchiha resembles.
"This is our new home. It's a little dirty right now, but I'll fix that."
Seto turned his attention to the teen. "This is our new home!" he exclaimed, mispronouncing his words again like he always did. Sasuke smiled and nodded.
Setting him down, Seto quickly rushed out of the room and hooked a right. Moments later, he ran by the doorway again, screaming at the tops of his lungs. Sasuke shook his head, knowing that he was going to have to give Seto a bath after he gets done searching through the dirty house.
Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the cleaning supply bin and following Seto up the stairs. "Be careful, Buddy. I don't want you to get hurt," he called as he climbed the stairs. Moments later he heard giggles.
xOx
Hours later, she found herself in the room that she previously called her room. Now the room was just a mess of all of her things scattered around. She had tried to organize it all, but wound up getting more disorganized with each item she found. She sighed, looking around at all of her stuff scattered around on the furniture, the floor and trash bags. She never realized she had this much stuff.
She grabbed the packing tape and taped up another box filled with the things she was leaving. She pushed the box against the wall, trying to get it out of the way. With a grunt, she stood up and stretched before going down to the kitchen to ease her rumbling stomach. She heat up the dinner her mother had let and leaned against the counter and slowly ate.
She couldn't wrap her mind around everything. She was going to move in and have to deal with all the awkwardness and try to deal with Sasuke's mood swings. And have to be away from the her safe haven, her family and childhood home. And as she thought about this, she realized that she was scared. Obviously it wasn't a 'oh my god, I'm going to die' kind of scared but instead a scared of the unknown type of thing.
She finished up the food and walked to the sink to clean her dishes. She had lived a normal life, being smart, but relatively average. She was put on an extraordinary team which led to friendship, strength, and heartbreak. She had grown as a person, becoming the Hokage's student and surpassing her in skill, and was surprisingly happy considering that Sasuke was gone and there was a hole in her team. But now Sasuke is suddenly back in the picture, by his own accord, and with a child no less.
She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to deal with all of this. She didn't know if moving in with Sasuke was going to break her heart even more or if it was going to strengthen a friendship that they never really had.
And now that she was thinking of Sasuke, she could help but think about how much he had changed. He still had the same features, but they had changed and matured. He was even hotter than he ever was. He was truly a man now.
Sakura finished washing her dishes and dried them. While putting them away she couldn't help but realize that she was either the luckiest or unluckiest person in the world.
Brushing off the thought, she went back up to her room and started up her packing efforts. Almost two and a half hours later, she stopped and collected her things for overnight. She pulled that bog on her shoulder and then grabbed two of the boxes because she couldn't carry anything else.
She locked up the house and then walked over to the new Uchiha Manor. Walking with her hands full was pretty hard and she almost asked Rock Lee to help her when she saw him down the street. But she decided against it so she wouldn't have to explain the situation. Instead she ducked into a nearby store, ignoring the people that stared at her, wand waited for him to pass before she left.
As she walked, she realized that was she slightly excited. She was scared but at the same time she couldn't fight the strange urge she felt to go to the Uchiha Manor. She wanted to spend time with Sasuke again. She wanted to meet this Seto that she has heard about but never seen. She was excited and nervous as hell.
She finally made it there after the longest time and knocked with great difficulty. She waited for a long moment and then knocked again when there was no answer. She waited in the chilly October air for ten more minutes before she silently let herself in.
She felt awkward, having only entering the place once before and then just walking in on her second visit. And even worse, she felt as if she was disturbing Sasuke's privacy. Putting the boxes down, she couldn't help but wonder if it was always going to feel like she was walking into someone else's house or if she would ever get used to walking in here.
She closed the door behind herself and looked around. No one was in sight. The hallway light was on and it seemed to have been swept, but not dusted. Glancing to her right, she saw no one in the kitchen but the light was on and glancing to the left, the room was dark and she couldn't see much. It was extremely quiet, and she felt unease because of this fact.
She leaned against the wall and removed her shoes. Once they were off, she pushed them off out the way and then straightened out her posture. She was unbuttoning her coast when she heard loud footfalls pounding against the wood floor and then a yell.
"MOMMY!" it shouted.
Sakura looked just in time to see a little boy running towards her. For some reason, the boy only had on pajama pants and was running around shirtless. But she was unable to focus on this fact when he was suddenly upon her. He jumped up and grabbed a hold of her coat. Within seconds, he had somehow managed to find a way into Sakura's arms.
A shocked and confused Sakura held onto to him, having no clue as to why he had called her 'mommy'. She was so shocked that she barely registered the fact that he was muttering something that she couldn't make out. She also noticed that the boy's hair and parts of his body was wet.
"Um . . . ," she chocked out in confusion but the boy didn't even seem to notice.
Sasuke suddenly came down the stairs. He had one of the rare smiles on his face and quickly faded to a puzzled expression at the sight that greeted him. She noticed that he was carrying a towel and the pajama shirt in his hand and had momentarily froze in spot.
Sakura stared at him in a complete loss for words. She didn't even know how to explain how she had wound up in the situation. She stared at Sasuke with wide eyes and holding the boy in her arms.
Sasuke was the first to speak. "I see you met Seto."
Yup. Enjoy and please review. Next Chapter will be up soon and hopefully a edit will be too.