Bloodlines

Cows and Teacups

Haku would rather be anywhere else. Even sick in bed or forced to eat greens would be better than his current position, dressed in a formal Yukata (against his very loud protests) forced to sit in one place and watch boring adults do boring things.

The only interesting thing about the Hyuuga main house was the sliding doors and neat paintings. (all very old and very expensive) his father had stressed, hence he had been banned from exploring. He had been taken to sit with the Hyuuga children, all properly poised and sitting quietly. Apparently Haku was supposed to do the same, however he couldn’t help but fidget and squirm the longer time passed.

Next to him, a Hyuuga girl dressed in a pretty blue and green kimono was staring at him as if he were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen, the boy beside her however was pointedly ignoring him.

“My mom says you’re going to be a cousin soon.” She finally spoke, silvery eyes intent.

“Sure, I guess.” Haku replied, frowning and trying not to get his sleeves in his plate. This whole idea of his dad marrying was not his favorite topic. The boy next to her snorted, shaking the shining fall of hair off one shoulder. The girl frowned at him, but turned back to Haku, smiling.

“It must be weird, having to get to know all new people and meeting a whole new family, there are a lot of us.”

She was right about that, apparently everyone in the room was a relation of some sort to his step-father to be. Most had strange marks on their heads that his father had forbidden him to ask about.

“Nothin’ you have to worry about, no kid of mine will.” His father had growled, and the topic dropped.

The girl he was speaking to had a smooth unmarred forehead too; her companion however was marked like many of the others.

“My name is Botan.” She scooted a few inches closer and pushed a tray of something green and cookie like towards him. Haku wanted to move away, but his father had told him to be polite, so he merely scrunched his shoulders in and tried not to lean away.

“My mother says that he’s the son of a traitor.” The strange boy had been glaring at Haku since the girl had moved to nearly sit in his lap.

“That’s not true! Everyone knows my dad’s a hero!” Haku protested. The other boy rolled his eyes.

“ Not Uzumaki you moron. Your sire, the man who fathered you was Uchiha Sasuke.”

“ Taki! Shut up!” The girl squeaked, glancing around as if an adult was about to descend on them any moment.

“You’re stupid. Naruto’s my dad, everyone knows that, that Uchiha guy, he’s just one of dad’s friends!”

“Some friend, seeing as he tried to kill Uzumaki. Deny it all you want, I wouldn’t want a bloody traitor for a father either.”

With that the boy stood and walked smoothly away. Botan stood hastily, bowing, fingers clutched in front of her.

“I’m sorry!” She murmured, before following her companion. She left a confused Haku staring after her.

He sat alone for a moment, feeling confused, and a little upset. Obviously the rude kid was thinking of someone else. But he had never before wondered about it, he knew he came from his dad, like most came from their moms . . . but he had never wondered anymore than that.

His father was his father. He didn’t need a mom, not with Sakura and Hinata and Ino around to baby him and embarrass him just as well as any real mom could. But now that he thought of it, if Naruto was sorta like the mom, if he had come out of him. . . then there had to have been another. A father that wasn’t Naruto. Most kids had two parents right? But it had always been himself and his father.

Ignoring the “Sit and be good” rule, he bolted upright to find his father. He didn’t like all this newness and change. The people here were rude and stuffy. He wanted to go home.


Naruto had never been the center of so many people’s attention, not unless he had done something wrong anyhow. He was served tea and treated like some sort of fancy lord, Neji sitting placidly beside him. It was weird and not a little uncomfortable. They sat with Neji’s uncle, his wife and two daughters, while various members of the civilian Hyuuga clan members served them food and beverages with the ceremony of something out of an old historical scroll. Everyone here seemed to find it normal.

“A home is being prepared for your wedding, close to the main house. We hope you will make it your own.”

Hiashi, obviously not a man used to making nicey nice conversation with an outsider looked as uncomfortable as Naruto felt.

“Uh, thanks, um, thank you Hiashi-san.” Naruto replied, wishing for a moment to be anywhere but here. He took his tiny cup carefully; it was probably a thousand and one years old and handed down by the first Hyuuga so that if he broke it Neji’s family would hate him forever. The tea was rather bitter too, but he sipped it like the perfect example of a manly man should, smiling at Hiashi’s wife.

“We look forward to children, our girls are not yet matched to a proper mate yet, yours will be our first, almost like grandchildren in fact!”

Neji’s aunt sighed, as if seeing said babies already in her head, eyes dreamy. Naruto wondered if she knew that Hinata and Kiba had been getting a bit closer than just “friends”. By the way the kunoichi studiously looked anywhere but at her parents, probably not. Hinata’s sister looked as if she could care less. Like Neji she sat tall and proper, the perfect example of a future Hyuuga clan leader.

“Haku will be trained like a Hyuuga child, and will be adopted into the clan as such, with all the same honors.” Hiashi continued, handsome face tipped into his teacup.

“The honor of a branch family, or of the Main?”

Naruto was surprised at Neji’s cold voice; he had been relatively silent up to now.

Hiashi sat his cup down with rather more force than the billion year old (Naruto was sure of it) teacup probably needed.

“Your children will be unmarked. They will be members of this family in all ways, but for the ability to inherit a clan leadership. Main or Branch family . . . the application really no longer applies to you. It will be a new branch of its own, one I am rather interested to see the results from.”

Naruto tried to keep from scrunching his nose. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant, Neji however didn’t seem to know if he should look pleased or insulted.

“They want new blood without the risk of it being obvious. Your new ability makes the genes of the sire dominant.” Tsunade had explained. “They want to make sure no blond haired Hyuuga give away the newest little secret they are making.” She had added when he had looked confused.

And though his children would obviously always be part him, their physical and bloodline traits would breed true to the sire. Naruto guessed that was why Hiashi looked rather pleased with the idea.

Whatever else that was to be said was interrupted by Haku bounding into the room and directly into his father’s arms.

“ I wanna go home!” was the loud proclamation as the child buried his dark head into Naruto’s chest, unconcerned with the dark green liquid pooling around their knees or the tiny cracked teacup that rolled off the low table with a crunch. Naruto really hoped he was wrong about the tea set.