Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Menma, time to get up," I hear Mom call from the other side of my door and I groan. "I'll be out in a few minutes," I call back, sleepily. I hear her soft laughter as she moves down the hall, no doubt to wake the twins. I pry open my eyes and throw the blankets off before I move towards my closet. After I finish changing, I open my door to head to the kitchen.

I stumble out of the hall and into the dining room, where too much sunlight is spilling in from the open windows.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Mom chuckles from the kitchen. I look over to see her standing at the island, sun coming through the window behind her. Her hair seems to glow with the light and her eyes twinkle with amusement. Kami, my mother is the most beautiful person to walk the planet. "Good morning, Mom," I answer back. "Good morning, Aniki," the twins mumble from their place on the other side of the table. Both of them seem to still be waking up, too.

"Here. Eat up," Mom smiles as she places plates with pancakes in front of us. I reach out and take the fruit bowls and syrup. "Hey, I wanted the blueberries," Kiyomi pouts. "You can have them after I'm done," I tell her. "So, are you excited about today," Mom asks as she takes her spot at the table. "Of course! It's the second stage of the Chunin Exams," I reply, a smile fighting its way over my face.

"Mama," Minato asks from next to Kiyomi. "Yes, baby," she says while brushing some hair from his forehead and poking it like she does to all of us. "What was your Chunin Exams like," he asks. I perk up, always excited to hear about Mom's adventures and fights. "Well, it was suppose to be a simple fight, but it got out of hand towards the end. It definitely wasn't how most exams go," she laughs, the sound like bells tinkling. "But, nothing like that is gonna happen today, all the Kage will be observing and I will be there, too. Konohamaru is also an official and I trust him," she states.

"Konohamaru-sensei learned from you and Uncle Naruto, didn't he," I ask, curious about what he learned from my mother and uncle. "That's right. Once he reached Chunin level, he started coming to us for advice and help with different things. Then, when we returned from our Sage training, he wanted us to teach him everything we had learned," she explains.

"Did you or Uncle Naruto teach him the Raseangan," Kiyomi pipes in. "Your Uncle did most of the teaching on that one. I pitched in, occasionally, but it was mostly your Uncle," she says. "Didn't Uncle Naruto teach him the Harem Jutsu, too," I ask, remembering sensei using it for a diguise on a mission. "Unfortunately, yes. My perverted twin did teach him that," Mom sighs, pulling a laugh from the three of us.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening catches all of our attention. I look over towards the archway and then 'he' appears.

"Sasuke-kun, you're actually here," Mom gasps and stands from her spot. The man doesn't even smile at being addressed. "Hello, Naruko," he says and Mom moves to wrap her arms around him in a hug. Nothing. He doesn't even hug her back. Old Bastard.

"Come sit, I made breakfast. I'll fix you a plate," she says, ushering him into the seat at the head of the table, Mom's rightful spot. I can feel the twitching in my face at being in his prescence. Boruto always complains about Uncle not being around all the time, but he has no idea what it is like to actually not have his father around.

Uncle Naruto is nothing like the man before me. Uncle Naruto does everything for the village and everyone's safety. Besides, he at least is in the village all the time and comes home every other day. Whereas, this man is only out there for himself. Mom said that he feels he has to be out there. He would rather be out in the world than be here with his wife and children. He only shows up a few times a year and never really says much to any of us. He never shows Mom any kind of affection. He never offers to come and train with any of us, like Uncle Naruto does.

He probably doesn't even know that I'm participating in the Chunin Exams.

He sits and accepts the plate Mom sets in front of him and she takes the empty seat next to me. He only nods and starts eating. The nerve of this man; he doesn't even say thank you or anything. My mother deserves better than this selfish old man.

An hour later, Kiyomi and Minato have left to meet their friends and the Old Man has left to report to Uncle. We still have some time till I have to meet my team for preparations. I sit at the island, watching Mom doing the dishes. "Mom, can I ask you something," I ask. She finishes drying a plate and turns to me, a smile on her beautiful face. "You can always ask me anything, sweetheart," she says, drying her hands and coming to stand across from me.

"How did you fall in love with that Old Man," I ask, curious how my beautiful amazing goddess of a mother could look at someone like him and think, 'He is the one I want to marry and have kids with'.

"Well, you know, for the longest time, Sasuke and I didn't get along," she says. "Really," I ask, surprised. "Yeah, your Uncle and I actually saw him as a sort of rival when we were kids and even when we were teenagers," she says. "So, what made you change your mind," I ask. "Well, I guess I never really realised it, but at some point, I stopped competing against him and started working with him. The more we worked together and spent time together, I started learning about him. You wouldn't know it, but he use to be quite sweet and charming when he wanted to be. Then, something happened during the war that made me wake up to how much I wanted to be with him and how much I hadn't got to do with him. After the war, I always sent him letters and pictures, and he would write back. The few times he would come back, we would go on dates and spar together. Until one time he came back and he asked me to marry him," she explains, playing with the end of her ponytail as she tells me their story.

"What happened to him, then," I ask, confused. I can't see the person I know being like she described him.

"What do you mean, baby," she asks, her brows furrowed and reaches out to cup my cheek.

"I mean, he isn't anything like that now. He never smiles, he doesn't give you any kind of affection like a husband should, he hardly ever even says anything and if he does its nothing to me and the twins. He never asks to watch or join us in training like Uncle Naruto. He doesn't even know anything about me or the twins. Boruto is always saying that Uncle Naruto is a bad dad, but Uncle Naruto does spend time with him sometimes. He trains with him and comes home during the week. He doesn't do that. He is more of a stranger than a father," I explain from my end.

I can see the sadness in her eyes as I point out all the things he's done and not done.

"I don't want to hurt you, Mom. I know his dream was always to reestablish his clan. I know this is going to sound terrible, but it feels like that is the only reason he married you and had us. He got the Uchiha Clan started again. Now, he doesn't want anything to do with us," I whisper but it seems like I might as well have yelled it.

I see the tears welling up in her eyes and I feel my heart twist.

"Oh, baby. No. That's not true. He loves us, I promise. He just doesn't know how to show love or how to be part of a family," she sobs and comes around to pull me into a hug. "He hasn't tried either," I point out, tears burning at my eyes too.

"Baby," Mom sobs and moves down to her knees, pulling me closer and I bury my face in her neck, breathing in her calming scent of vanilla and sandalwood.

Little to my knowledge, the man in question had been standing in the hallway, listening the whole time.

Chapter Text

"Sasuke, I didn't expect to see you for a few more hours," Naruto smiles from behind his desk.

The dark circles under his eyes have deepened and his smile doesn't reach his eyes. Adulthood isn't doing much for him. "I thought I would come by and kill some time. I wanted to see Naruko and the kids, but they didn't seem very excited to see me," I sigh from where I slump into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"I'm sorry," he sighs and I know his son is similiar towards him.

"I've been thinking about staying here in the village more often," I announce and look back over at my brother-in-law. "If thats what you wanna do, I support it," he smiles. "I bet Naruko and your kids will be happy to hear that," he laughs.

My wife and children.

Can I even call them that?

"Naruto, what do you think makes someone a father? Blood relations or bonds created over time," I ask the blonde.

"Sasuke, I don't think either of us can answer that question," he replies, picking up his family photo and staring at it. "Honestly, Himawari doesn't seem to resent me, but Boruto sure does. Adding in Kawaki, I don't know if he will ever see me as his father, though I can hope. Who would have thought my dream would one day keep me away from my family," his voice seems to take on a nostalgic tone.

"I started this journey, trying to make myself a better man for Naruko and, one day, for my children. Now, I've been so caught up in it, that I've alienated my own wife and children. Naruko doesn't know how to act around me anymore. Menma and Kiyomi can't even really hide how much they hate me, but that doesn't even hurt as much as Minato. He looks at me like a stranger in the street, like he has no opinion on me. That I'm so insignifigant and inconsequetial that I don't affect his life whether I'm here or not," I explain, feeling like a knife is twisting in my heart.

I always said that I would be a better father than mine, who only acknowledged me and Itachi if we did something exceptional. Now, I'm a worse father.

I don't even know the first thing about any of them. The last time I talked to any of them, I remember, was when they each awakened their Sharingans. I only know about their other abilities and accomplishments through brief letters from Naruto and Naruko.

Naruko.

A literal Angel who has tied herself to me.

She tries to hide her disappointment and hurt everytime I leave again, but I couldn't ever miss it. The woman who has given me multiple reasons to live, and I have slowly been taking the life and love from those beautiful eyes. Everytime I see her, her eyes are darker and more dull than when I left. I can barely remember the last time we spent the night together, it must have been around 2 months ago and before that it was almost a year.

How she has stayed loyal to me, I will never understand. Honestly, if it was any other woman in the world, they probably would have divorced me and moved on.

"I can hear the self-deprecating thoughts from here," Naruto speaks up, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Go talk to her," he encourages and shoos me out of his office. "I'll see you in a few hours," he states before closing the door. I nod and make the trip back to the house. I silently enter the house, when I hear voices from the kitchen. I move down the hall, when I realize its Menma and Naruko.

"So what happened to him," Menma's voice seems to ask Naruko.

"What do you mean, baby," her sweet voice asks.

As I stand there, back pressed to the wall, I feel my heart breaking even more.

I listen as my own son points out every flaw I know I have. Then, my heart shatters as my own son seems to believe that I don't love his mother. That I used her and then discarded her and our children.

How did I let it get to this?

I can hear as Naruko begins to cry and I hear her try to excuse me, like always.

"He doesn't know how to show love or how to be part of a family," her voices cracks.

"He hasn't tried either," my son points out and he is correct.

Chapter Text

"Sasuke, can I talk to you," I ask as I walk into our room. He seems to freeze, and I would be lying if I said that it doesn't hurt to know he can't trust me enough anymore to relax in our home. "I know you heard Menma," I start, moving further into the room and taking a seat on the bed. "I know that you do love me, Sasuke-kun. I have always known that. I don't think that you used me just to get children," I whisper and reach out to take his hand.

"I always said that I would be a better father than mine and I'm actually worse. Menma is right in everything he said about me. I don't know anything about them. I barely remember even speaking to them. I've never helped them in training or even watched them train. Hell, I only see them a handful of times a year," he seems to break down, tears trailing over his cheeks.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun. You know it's not too late. You can try to spend time with them when you are here," I suggest.

"Actually, I talked with Naruto and from now on, I'm going to be staying here. I will only be leaving on the occasional mission, as a parent should. I'm gonna be here from now on," he says, and I feel my heart squeezing. "Really," I ask as I feel tears gathering in my eyes. "Yes, I need to be here, with you and our children. I have to be a better husband and father. That is my new journey," he whispers.

I feel a sob leave my throat, as I throw my arms around him in a hug. "Sasuke, you are the man I will always love, and I know that once the kids get to know you, they will love you too. Minato is so much like you that it's like watching 11-year-old you," I laugh and press a kiss to his cheek.

I pull back, but he grips my chin and looks back at me. "I love you, too. I could never have guessed how much I could love and need you when we were kids," he whispers before pulling me in and presses our lips together. Gods, how I have missed his kisses. Just as the kiss starts to pick up, his hand brushes my stomach and I realize there is one more thing I had to talk to him about.

Slowly, I pull away from the kiss, cupping his handsome face. "There is something else I wanted to tell you," I breath, watching as he catches his breath from the kiss. "I know that you want to be a better father to Menma, Kiyomi, and Minato. But, there is something else," I lead up.

"What do you mean," he asks, brows furrowed and its silly that it makes him so cute.

"I'm pregnant," I smile and look over the shock in his eyes.

"You're pregnant again," he asks, looking down and brushing over my stomach.

"I'm pregnant again. I found out two weeks ago, but I wanted to wait until the next time you were here to announce it," I explain, brushing my thumbs over his jawline. "Another child," he breathes, a faint smile gracing his face.

"So, no one knows," he asks, and I shake my head. "I wanna announce it tonight. Hinata and I have been planning to have a family dinner for the past week," I tell him. He nods and pulls me into another kiss. "How much time before we need to meet Naruto and the other Kage," he breathes as he trails kisses over my pulse. "An hour," I reply, combing my hands through his long hair. "Think that's enough time for us," he asks.

"Yes, it's enough," I answer breathless at the way he moves down to kiss across my exposed collarbone. Slowly, I can feel as he begins to unbutton my top and moves his lips to every bit of exposed skin. "I have missed touching you," he admits against my stomach. He unclasps the front of my bra, not removing it, just moving aside and attacks my breasts.

I can't control the moans slipping past my lips, but I really don't want to anyway.

"Sasuke-kun, let me touch you," I pant, but he just smirks up at me. "Not this time. For now, I'm gonna worship my Angel," he breathes against the waistline of my shorts and semi-skirt. His fingers slip under the waistband and gently pulls them down my legs with my underwear.

I feel as he brushes his nose over the inside of my thigh, and I feel my heart stop for a second. "Sasuke," I gasp when his mouth opens, and he begins to leave hickies and bitemarks over the sensitive skin. "I can smell you," he whispers and the heat behind my face amplifies by 100. "I've missed doing this," he says as he moves closer to my core, and I feel my heart racing like it's our first time all over again.

His breath ghosts over my core before I feel his tongue move over me.

I shriek and feel my core clench at the action. I can't even remember the last time I touched myself, so this might not last very long. "You ready, Angel," he asks from between my legs. I move my hands to twist into the sheets and nod.

Immediately, his tongue is back on me, moving expertly between my folds and his lips are sealing over my clit. I cry out at the feeling of the suction on my most sensitive area, trying to clench my legs, but his hands hold them open. "Sasuke," I sob as I feel one hand move and a finger slips inside me.

"Yes, more," I beg as he starts moving his finger and lets up on my clit. A second finger slides in and they move faster, scissoring apart, stretching me. "Please, Sasuke, want you," I cry feeling the heat building in my abdomen. "Tonight, right now I want make you feel good," he teases and adds a third finger, stretching me further and effectively erasing words from my head. He leans his body back over mine, kissing me breathless as he continues fingering me.

Suddenly, his fingers brush over that one spot inside me, causing me arch into his body and scream. "Yes, there, there, please," I plead, feeling ready to cum any second now. "Shhh, I've got you," he growls into my ear, and I feel my eyes roll back into my head as he assaults that spot.

"I'm gonna cum," I cry, moving to grip at his shirt and pull him into another filthy kiss. "Thats it, Angel. Cum on my fingers," he coaxes, and I throw my head back as my orgasm shakes through me. "Good girl," he murmurs and continues to move inside me, still stimulating me. I whine and move to push at his arm, sensitive. "No more, please. Sensitive," I whine, pulling a chuckle from him.

"Let's get cleaned up and meet your brother," he laughs, knowing that one way to ruin the mood is to mention my twin.

"Teme," I breathe, slapping his chest.

Chapter Text

"Ah, it's good to see you, Gaara," I smile and pull the redhead into a hug, nodding to Shikaku who is perched on his shoulder. The gathered Kage and their companions all smile and take their seats in the special area overlooking the crowd. "It's good to see you, too, sunshine," he replies. I laugh at the familiar nickname he gave me and Naruto.

"There is my favorite half of the Kyubbi's Jinchurikki," B shouts before picking me up in a crushing hug. I laugh and hug him back, when Guki appears on B's shoulder.

"Hello, Guki-kun," I greet the bijuu, feeling Kurama perk up and then appear on top of my head. "Hello, brother," the fox says from his perch. "Hi, Kurama," he greets back as B and I take our seats next to our brothers.

"Are any of your kids competing today," B asks, looking out at the crowd slowly filling the stands. "Yes, actually. My oldest son, Menma, will be," I beam, thinking of my baby boy and how fast he has grown. "Already old enough to be competing. How fast time has passed," Gaara sighs from beside Naruto.

"It feels like just yesterday, he was taking his first steps," I sigh, feeling emotional at the thought of my quickly growing little boy. "Isn't Boruto competing as well," Gaara asks. "Yep, I'm excited to see how he does," Naruto smiles, straightening in his seat. "I am surprised to see you here, though, Sasuke," A pipes up, addressing the man who has been attached to me since B put me down.

Overprotective.

"I have started a new chapter in my life. I will be present in the village from now on, in order to be a better husband and father," he answers truthfully. The dark-skinned male seems to hesitate before smiling and nodding at my husband. "Thats good to know," he says before turning to speak to the Mizukage.

I look to see my brother beaming at me and Sasuke. He looks years younger in that moment. I know that he hasn't been so well lately. The full responsibility of Hokage cracking down on him and keeping him from his family. It's one of the reasons Hinata and I have been planning the family dinner.

At the thought of the female, I look around for her head of distinct purple hair, spotting her just off to the side of the Kage area. Himawari, Kawaki, Kiyomi, and Minato all surround her, and I feel my smile grow at the sight of the rest of my family. I reach over and latch onto Naruto's hand, squeezing it and smiling back at him. "I love you, nii-san," I whisper, knowing that he needs the affection.

"I love you, too, imouto," he whispers back, smile in place.

"Okay, let's get this started," Konohamaru shouts from the middle of the arena.