well, i have no excuse to present to you except i fucking suck. I'm blunt about it, so yeah. This file has been on my flashdrive for way to long, labeled 3.14. This means i started and then stopped and trashed this cahpter thirteen other times before i finally got this one. I'm not even sure if it is even worth the wait, but i refused to start over again.
No proof reading, because i was in a rush to get this out before i changed my mind. Sorry.
Sasuke was still asleep when Sakura woke up. Like, he was really out. Usually the smallest of noises or the slightest movement would wake him up. She awoke to the sound of Kai crying distantly in another room. She groaned and stretched accidently kicking Sasuke's leg. She froze and then turned slowly expecting to have woken him up if he hadn't already been up.
Instead she was greeted with his peaceful sleeping face.
She stared at him for a long moment, blinking incomprehensively at how peaceful he was sleeping with the noise and the kick. After a moment, she frowned. She honestly couldn't tell you why she did it-seriously after his lack of sleep it made sense for him to be sleeping so peacefully. And shouldn't she be moving around on her tippy toes to ensure he stayed that way?-but she slowly lifted her hand and snapped her fingers in front of his face.
He didn't even respond.
It had been a few days since he started taking his sleeping pills. The first day he almost slept through the entire day, getting up for dinner in a zombie like fashion before taking another pill and going back to sleep. It got better after that and Sasuke started taking only one pill a night because he soon realized that two made him sleep through the entire day. Sakura thought it was sort of funny. He went from one extreme to another, not sleeping at all to sleeping all the time because of two mild sleeping pills. Sasuke was sensitive to many kinds of medication so he would most likely need a much lower prescription and not the mild generic brand he had gotten.
Even when Sasuke started taking only one pill it left him in a fog in the morning. He got up around midmorning but usually needed at least one cup of coffee and a half hour to forty five minutes to start acting like himself again. The other day he confused the hell out of Sakura when he was wandering around the house like a zombie, running his hands over the walls and really examining ever inch of the house like there was some hidden mystery to be found. Then he had simples wandered out of the house clad in nothing but his underwear and a hoodie over his bare chest. Sakura had to watch the kids so she couldn't go chasing after him but he sent Naruto out to track him down before he got into any sort of trouble or embarrassed himself. Naruto found him sitting in the long grass of the Old Uchiha Manor staring blankly at the abandoned building.
By then Sasuke was almost completely out of his morning fog but he stayed there with Naruto by his side for a few more hours, saying nothing and staying deep in thought. It freaked Naruto out and worried the hell out of blonde and pinkette. However, when asked about it Sasuke would dodge the question or completely ignore it in favor of going back into deep thought again.
She blinked in confusion before turning her attention to the distant cries. She sighed and glanced at the clock, seeing that it was seven thirteen in the morning, as she rolled out of bed, slightly disturbed that he was sleeping so soundly. When did he ever sleep soundly? It went against the norm for sure.
She pulled on her robe and exited the bedroom, making her way down the hall and went to the guest room that had been converted into Kai's bedroom. The room that had once been a beige color was now a light blue with clouds expertly painted onto the ceiling. Kai was in a white crib. As soon as the little boy was in the comfort of his mother's arms, he immediately quieted down. Sakura bent forward and grabbed a blanket and lightly draped it over him as she headed down the stairs.
Sakura sat him down in the high chair and got him a sippy cup while she started a pot of coffee for when Sasuke decided to wake up. She doubted that he will be out for much longer. However, an hour went by and still he had yet to emerge from the bedroom. She checked on him twice and both times he was sleeping peacefully. And she will even admit that the second time she checked his pulse to see if he was even alive. (He was, obviously)
It was around nine forty when she heard any sort of noise from upstairs. However, she knew it wasn't Sasuke when she heard crying. Sakura made sure that Kai was comfortable before she rushed upstairs wanting to get to one of her babies and only slightly worried that the crying will wake her husband.
She was at the top of the stairs when she spotted the source of the crying. Seto was walking out of the master suite, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Next to him Mikoto was sniffling with wet tears streaking down her full cheeks. Seto held her hand, guiding her away from the master suite.
"Daddy sleepy, Mik. He play with you later," the boy assured his little sister.
She sniffled and tried to calm her tears. Sakura smiled sadly, happy that her little boy was able to handle the situation but sad that her little girl was upset. She pushed forward, walking calmly over to her young children. Mikoto spotted her mother quickly and flew into her arms. The young mother comforted the child the best she could, promising that her Daddy will be up soon.
Her eyes moved over to the dark bedroom, seeing no movement from within. "Seto, honey, is Daddy up yet?" she couldn't help but ask.
He shook his head and took her outstretched hand. "No, Mommy. Me heard Mik crying and got her when Daddy wouldn't waked up," he muttered.
She smiled and praised him for handling the situation like a good big brother. He was soon becoming Mommy's little helper, getting more involved with his siblings. When Mommy needed to get Kai's sippy cup, Seto was already running for the kitchen before she could even get up. When Sakura had all three kids, Seto was there to keep Mikoto entertained while Sakura changed Kai.
She led the two down stairs and into the kitchen where she started on their breakfast. Seto was keeping Mikoto calm and entertained while Sakura stood at the stove and kept a watchful eye on all of her kids. Breakfast rolled by and Sakura was about to take the kids upstairs so that she could start getting Seto ready for daycare when Sasuke slowly dragged himself through the kitchen doorway.
He was rubbing his eyes and his moves were sluggish. Looking at him, you could see he was in a sort of fog. He wore sweatpants, but no shirt and he was wearing mismatched slippers. He walked straight to her, giving her a quick kiss before going over to the coffee pot. By then it was cold, but that didn't seem to faze him when he started chugging it straight from the pot, spilling it down his chin and onto his bare chest.
Sakura blinked and put her hand his shoulder. "Babe, you okay?"
He waved his hand non-communicatively and then released a gust of air after downing a large portion of the coffee. Sakura blinked at him, raising an eyebrow and handing him a washcloth. He stared at her incomprehensibly before she sighed and ran the washcloth over his chest and chin. He blinked in response, mouthing the word, 'oh,' before moving over to the table.
He kissed Kai first, and then moved over to the other side of the table to kiss Seto and then over to Mikoto. Mikoto squealed in delight and clung to him, not letting him go. After a moment he was obligated to pull her into his arms with a sigh.
"Did they eat breakfast?" he asked groggily.
Sakura nodded and cleared the plates from the table. "Yeah, I was about take them up so I could get Seto ready for daycare."
Sasuke stared at her in confusion before looking at the clock. "Oh," was all he could get out.
Sakura smiled and moved over to lean over the island and snuck in a kiss. He responded sluggishly, like he was trying to put effort into it but just couldn't quite bring himself to the point where he could. Sakura pulled back slowly and then gave him a quick chaste kiss before smiling sweetly. "Did you sleep well at least?"
He nodded and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, but I'm running so slow this morning." Sakura resisted the urge to comment about the fact that it was every morning versus this one. He would definitely need a milder pill.
She smiled and moved around the island to grab Kai and then motioned for Seto. Seto climbed off of the chair and rushed to her side, reached for her hand. Sakura took his hand and then smiled at her husband. "Just stay away from heavy machinery."
He frowned as she started for the door. "Oh, you're hilarious," he commented as he followed her.
They moved upstairs and into Seto's bedroom where he had all of his things sprawled out everywhere. Sasuke set Mikoto down while Sakura placed Kai down on Seto's bed. Sasuke looked around at the mess shaking his head. It wasn't that Seto was a slob and they let him keep his room this way but more of he had too much stuff to comfortably fit in the room. "You know, this isn't working out."
Sakura looked at him strangely as she dug through Seto's drawer with Seto by her side, discussing what he wanted to wear. "What's not working out?"
He shook his head, looking around at the vast amount of belongings Seto had. He had a lot of things but not enough places to put it. He bent over and tried to organize the things on the floor. "This house is too small."
Sakura snorted, handing Seto his shirt. "This house is twice as big as the house I grew up in."
Sasuke shook his head. "Yeah, it's a fine house for a family of five but we are about to be a family of seven. There isn't room in this house."
Sakura looked at him in confusion. "This house has five bedrooms. We have one, the three kids get their own rooms and then the twins share one. We have the perfect amount of rooms."
Sasuke sighed. "But we don't have space to put everyone's things. We have toys spread out in every room, a mess everywhere, a storage room overflowing with crap. Plus, what happens when the twins grow up and want to their own room? Or where we are going to put our blonde friends when it's too late to send them home?"
Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know. What do you want to do about it if it's too small? Renovate?"
He sat down on the bed, pulling Kai into his arms while Mikoto fought for his attention. He stared at Sakura. "No, it's not a matter of what I want to do but rather what I think should be done," he muttered in an almost defeated tone.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
He sighed, looking at Mikoto as she tried to climb up onto the bed. He situated her next to him so that his arm was around her while the other held Kai. "The Old Uchiha Manor has been in the family for generations, from the very start. It's large enough to accommodate our entire family plus more and is the center of the Uchiha District. Plus, it's tradition for the head of the Uchiha family to move into the Manor."
She blinked. "So you want to move into your childhood home?"
He eyed her in an uncertain manner. He sighed. "I don't know. I know it's what would be best but I can't seem to wrap my mind around the idea of living in the house I grew up in as it is. It's just too weird."
Seto was getting dressed now, so Sakura was sitting on the ground next to him. Her attention was fully on her husband now. She held Seto's discarded shirt in her hands, resting on her lap. She lifted her shoulders in a clueless manner to emphasize her confusion. "Then what are you saying? It sounds like you think we should move into the Old Manor, but at the same time you are saying that you don't want to live there. So where does that leave us?"
Sasuke ran a hand through Mikoto's hair in order to try and straighten out some stray hairs. Her hair was pulling "a Sasuke", as Sakura often called it, and defying gravity to stick up at an odd angle. He tried to smooth it out but gave up after a moment because he simply didn't have the energy.
He spoke as he turned his attention back to his wife. "I don't want to live in that house as it is. But I don't think we can go on living in this house with such a growing family. We're crammed in here as it is. I think our best option is to move."
Sakura glanced at Seto and adjusted his shirt. She pointed to his dresser drawer. "Get some socks out, honey," she muttered before turning her attention back to Sasuke. "I still don't understand. You say you don't want to live there but now we're moving? Won't it be too painful for you to be there, you know, in the place where your parents were . . . Won't it be too much for you?"
He looked at her seriously as Seto called for him by the dresser, holding two pairs of socks. He kept his attention on Sakura, intent on getting what he needed to say out before he forgot it in the sleeping pill induced haziness. "Which is why I said I don't want to live in that house as is. We still have a little more than seven months to get the house ready. I think we should go in and gut the place. Save the important things that have been in the clan for generations and then get rid of the rest. Give it to the poor and needy or some shit like that," he said before Sakura called out a warning to him.
He shook his head, still focusing on her as Seto continued to call him. "Sorry. Some stuff like that," he corrected before continuing. "We can repaint and change how everything looks and make it completely us. I think that's the only way I could live there and it's the only logical and traditional thing I can think of to get us more space for our ever growing family."
"Daddy!" Seto called again in an exasperated manner.
"Yes, my impatient son," Sasuke muttered before turning his attention to his son.
"Me can't pick," he said, holing up a red pair and then a blue pair. Sasuke gave a tired smile and tried to muster up more energy for the sake of his children. He motioned his son forward and the small boy ran forward. He leaned Kai against his stomach and pulled Mikoto closer so that he could lightly hold Kai in place. He wrapped his now free arm around his oldest son and looked at both socks.
"Well they both look like fine pairs to me. Why don't we play ennie meanie minie mo to pick," he suggest and then helped his son pick. Sakura watched her husband, treasuring the image of him sitting on a bed that was way too small for him while he was crowded around with their children, and smiled softly, using this as the perfect distraction for her now thoughtful contemplations. Her hand moved to rest on her lower stomach, where she couldn't sense the chakra swirling but she knew it was there.
They ended up with the red ones and as Seto sat down to put them on Sasuke looked up at his wife. His eyes traveled down to her hand and he stared thoughtfully at her. "We don't have to decide right this moment, but you should at least go down and look at the house and see the potential before we make a decision."
Sakura nodded and then motioned for Seto. "But let's get you to daycare first."
Sasuke went and got dressed while Sakura went down to the kitchen with Kai and Seto to get the raven some more coffee. Sasuke joined them in the kitchen after a moment with Mikoto in his arms, always clinging to him. With a diaper bag over his shoulder, coffee in one hand and Mikoto in the other, Sasuke exited the house with Sakura following. She held Kai in her arm and held Seto's hand with the other.
They walked Seto to daycare, ignoring everyone around them. People still couldn't get over them as a couple. They still stared and gossiped, but the hateful remarks had lessened considerably. There would always be those diehard villagers who were determined to hate, but for the most part everything had settled for them. Sakura feared when it got out that she was pregnant again, especially with twins because it will be a field day in Konoha. Sometimes it seemed no one had anything better to talk about than them.
They dropped Seto off and then met up with Naruto and Ino before they made their way back home to the Compound. Instead of going straight home, however, they stopped at the Old Manor. They stood in front of the abandoned mansion of sorts. With the lack of care and human contact for the last few years, it was a creepy looking building in need of some love. It saddened Sasuke to see his childhood home in this condition.
"It's too creepy," Naruto muttered to Sakura in a loud whisper, receiving a glare from Sasuke. He gave the blonde a warning look and then looked Ino and gave her the same look, stopping her before she even had the chance to say anything. She pouted and stuck out her tongue childishly.
They entered the house slowly, removing their shoes by the door when Sasuke did it, though he did it out of habit and memory more than anything. The house was dark, having the power shut off a long time ago, and there was dust everywhere. Besides some obvious cleaning and fixing up, the house was in pretty good condition and filled with all sorts of valuable items.
At the same time, it had items of everyday life laying around. It was sort of unsettling. It was the first time that Sakura had been in the Manor but she had imagined it completely differently. She had imagined it barren, all cleaned out of the furniture or with cloth over it to protect it from wear. She hadn't expected to see everything laid out and untouched over the years, frozen like it was the day everything changed for her husband. A book still sat resting open on the coffee table. An older man's coat hung on a hook by the door with his shoes pushed off to the side in the entryway. A dust rag sat on the hall table with a broom leaning against the wall next to it. It was extremely unsettling to her that just items were still left, giving a clear picture of what Sasuke's parents had been doing that day. It unnerved her that she could look around at the forgotten items and picture his father sitting on the couch reading while his mother moved about cleaning hours before they were killed.
Sakura passed Kai over to Ino while Sasuke ushered them into the kitchen. It was bigger than their current kitchen and had a small table. There was a separate dining room with a much larger and nicer table, probably used for nicer meals or when guests were invited. Sakura would admit that behind the grime, it was nice.
Sasuke showed them all of the first floor rooms, which included a living room, a sitting room, two offices (one for his mother and the other for his father), two half baths, a sun room, a veranda that lead out to the garden as well as some other smaller rooms with no specific designated use. Already Naruto was claiming a room, stating that if they move in they should convert it to a ramen room or something equally as silly. Both parents ignored him while Ino repeatedly mocked him for his stupidity.
Naruto ignored her and helped with the tour from his limited experience in the house. "That door leads to the basement but trust me when I say you don't want to go don't there. It's super creepy." Sakura nodded wordlessly, trusting him. If the first floor was creepy she couldn't imagine the dark basement.
Sasuke lead them down the hallway that led to the bedrooms next. At the end of the hallway was a flight of stairs that went up. They climbed the stairs slowly, expecting the stairs to creak but it hardly made a noise. There were about nine bedrooms, Sasuke stated, leading them down the branching hallways. They poked their heads into one of the old guest bedrooms. It was just as creepy as the rest of the house but nearly the same size as the master suite in the other house. Sasuke explained they were all pretty much this size, except the master suite which was bigger. Ino boldly exclaimed that she was moving in whether they decided to or not, while she stepped into the walk-in closet. Sasuke ignored her and instead showed them the attached bathroom. This bathroom was one of three on the floor, including the master suite's bath.
Sakura moved over to the window and stared out after using her sleeve to wipe away the dust and dirt. The backyard was huge, complete with a covered patio off in the distance. Distantly she saw another building, looking as if it had been boarded up a long time ago.
She called Sasuke over and gestured to it. "What is that?"
Sasuke looked out and frowned at the sad, abused building. "That's the training dojo. It's tradition for the shinobi in the family to get a complete crash course of all the Uchiha techniques when they come of age." Without having to say it out loud Sakura knew that Sasuke never got that and had to teach himself over the years. She grabbed his hand and leaned her head against his tall shoulder.
"We should fix it so we can continue the tradition with our children," she muttered, putting her other hand on Mikoto's back, who was still perched on Sasuke's hip. Sasuke nodded wordlessly next to her.
They toured the house for awhile longer before they exited. There was no debate about the potential of the house. They moved back to the current Manor and laid the kids down for their naps while the blondes waited in the kitchen and raided their fridge. After the kids were securely settled they joined their friends in the kitchen. Ino sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter, munching on a small bowl of grapes. Naruto was leaning against the counter across from her, a cup of instant ramen in his hand.
Sakura settled herself at the table while Sasuke went to the fridge and pulled out ingredients for his breakfast. Both blondes were loudly discussing how they were going to decorate their rooms at the Old Manor as if the couple had already decided on the move. Again, the more mature young adults ignored the blondes. Sakura looked to her husband as he began cooking. She sighed, feeling so tired already because of this pregnancy. It was still early and she was starting to feel effected by morning sickness more often now as the days dragged on.
She moved over to where he stood by the counter and hopped up next to him. She tucked some stray hairs away from her face as she leveled her gaze on him. He looked at her quickly, the knife in his hand that was moments ago slicing a tomato stilled. She chewed on her lip for a moment before she took a deep breath.
"The house is seriously outdated so before we worry about the cosmetics of it, we should go through and get a more thorough look at the updates that should be done."
Sasuke blinked, putting the knife down completely and quickly washing the juices from his hands. He toweled his hands off quickly and focused fully on his wife. He leaned against the counter next to her. "Is the number of updates a contributing factor to deciding whether or not we actually do this?"
Sakura shook her head. "No. It's like you said, this house has amazing potential. With some necessary updates and cosmetic changes, that house could be the perfect house for us. Plus, it is traditional that the head of the clan be in that house and well, that's us, so it feels right."
Sakura reached out to her husband and brushed some hair away from his cheek. Her fingers grazed his cheek softly, noticing that his usually soft skin was prickled with stubble. She traced his strong jaw line for a moment before she lowered her hand to his neck.
"Ultimately, I'm putting the final decision in your court. I'm happy here and we would make it work, even if we have to renovate to make more room. Or we can move to the Old Manor and start over. If it's too much for you to be there, then we will stay. But if it's fine with you, then I say we take the leap," she said gently while her thumb rubbed comfortingly at his nape.
Sasuke pursed his lips, breaking the eye contact for a moment as he considered. Years ago, the thought of living in his old home would have been impossible for him. He would have hated the idea and adamantly refused, never admitting it out loud but knowing it would be too painful for him.
But things had changed for him. He was a father now and he had the support of a woman whom he never thought he would be able to love and trust as much as he did. She and their kids have done more for him than he ever thought possible. Years ago, even he felt that he was a lost cause. But now he was able to love and be loved, and he was able to forgive, and move forward. He was healing so that, while it was still painful to think about his old family, he could look back and remember happier times. He was no longer bogged down by their loss, it was no longer a heavy, constricting loss over his heart. He could breathe again.
He could take the next step.
Sasuke looked up and then fingered the stray pink hairs that had fallen back into her face. He gave her a sad smile and leaned in for a quick, gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he looked her in the eyes seriously and gave a small nod. "Let's do this then."
Sakura smiled, knowing that the decision to move was more than just a decision to move. It was a sign that Sasuke was moving on, that he was better now. She leaned forward and gave him a strong kiss, locking him in so that she could express that she understood and was happy at how far he had come. He returned the kiss with equal fervor.
They pulled away when they became aware of their two blonde friends celebrating in the background. They had been so caught up in their own world that they had forgotten they were there. They turned when they heard the two blondes laughing and yelling.
"Yeah! We are getting a bigger house!" they yelled in unison and high fived one another.
Sakura rolled her eyes from her seated position on the counter and grabbed her husband's hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at them. "No, Sakura and I are getting a bigger house. You two are going to get your own lives for once," he said.
Ino snorted at him, looking at him as if it was a ludicrous suggestion. Naruto took a large bite of ramen and spoke without caring that noodles were still hanging out of his mouth. "You're never getting rid of us, Teme."
Sakura smiled at him mischievously. "Well if we can't get rid of you then I guess we are just gonna have to put you to work. If you want a place at the new place then you are going to have to help fix it up."
Naruto groaned. "Ah, man," he complained.
Well, not sure when the next one will be out. Probably not any time soon, i'm afraid. but review, i guess.