Untitled_SasuNaru

Two months Later



He had rushed to the hospital when Ino had shown up in the compound and said she was waking. No he was standing beside her bed, holding the small hand in his and waiting. There was a groan and then black eyes fluttered open. When they looked around the room and landed on him, he stared deeply into them. Two souls. One body.



"Sasuke?"



"Hn." He didn't say anything about his name falling from her lips because over the last two months, he'd been told over and over again that if -when- Hikime woke up, she wouldn't know him as father but as Sasuke. he'd come to terms with that. "How do you feel?"



"Like Manda chewed me up and spit me out..." She sat up and fell back, her eyes closing.



"How do you know the snake?"



"I don't."



"Aito?"



"Hn." She sat up again, slowly this time, and he held her up and situated the pillows behind her until she was leaning on them comfortably. "Where is Naruto?"



"Out." She looked at her feet. "Where am I?"



"Konoha."



"Fire Country?"



"Hai." She let out a small sigh and looked to the window. It was daylight.



"What time is it?"



"Nine am." Her face contorted and she jumped out of bed. She fell to her butt and when he rushed over to her side, she was already forcing herself to stand. "What are you doing?"



"I'm late. Never going to be late again. I promised myself." She was looking around furiously for her clothes and then stopped, eyes glazing over for a moment. She mumbled something and then blinked, shaking her head. "He's dead." her face fell into a frown and she stared at the bed under her hands. "I won't be punished..." she looked up, "will I?"



"No." She thought about it for a moment before nodding and climbing back up onto the bed. His heart hurt to see her like this. She would question everything she did for a long time and there was nothing he could do about it but stand by and help when he was needed. She sat in the middle of the bed in nothing but a pair of undies, arms and legs crossed.



"I need clothes."



"Not right now you don't." Her head snapped up and she immediately went on the defensive and small hiss falling from between her lips. Sasuke just grabbed her shoulder and forced her to sit.



"Hokage." Hikime frowned. "Your are Tsunade?"



"I am."



"Aito says to call you baa-sama because it gets on your nerves."



"Well, she would be correct. Do you think I could...speak to her for a moment?" Hikime looked to Sasuke and then to the bed. Then she nodded once and he watched as a few slight changes occured, like the scars on Hikime's back fading and a her body getting slightly pudgier. Baby fat as Chouji called it.



"Ne! Baa-sama! What'd you drag me out here for? You've got her completely stressed out!" Tsunade just glomped Aito on the head and the child hissed, rubbing the growing lump.



"I heard what happened from four witnesses but I still don't understand it. What happened?"



"Can't tell you that."



"Why?"



"Because some secrets just shouldn't be divulged."



"You are the second person that has said that to me."



"Who was the first?"



"Tashiro."



"Hn." Aito looked to Sasuke and smiled. "Heya!"



"You are in big trouble."



"Oh no I'm not."



"What were you thinking?"



"I HAD MY FINGERS CROSSED! It's not my fault you didn't see it!"



"I wasn't talking about that!" he got in her face and they stared each other down. Tsunade saw the sparks fly and backed off a step.



"I joined with her. At least it's better having one and a half than none."



"One and a half? Is that what you call it?"



"Yes. I can come out any time I want thank you very much."



"I don't appreciate it."



"Of course not!" She threw up her hands. "The great Uchiha Sasuke would rather have two dead kids than two in one body!" he slapped her and she turned to him, holding her cheek. "I'm sorry."



"You better be young lady."



"Anyway!" The blond stepped in and pulled out a stethoscope. "Time for a check up. You did just wake up from a coma."



"I wasn't in a coma. I was just sleeping. Didn't you notice me breathing on my own?"



"I did. But when you take head trauma and go to sleep, it usually results in a coma."



"Whatever." Aito crossed her arms over her chest and only moved when she was told too. "Has Temari had the baby yet?"



"She was just induced this morning. She's still in labor."



"OH! I have to get there before the baby is born! Who's going to take bets?!" She jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. She was fast enough to leave Sasuke and Tsunade a little breathless when they finally caught up with her. And, being the kind of kid she was, she didn't care that she was running around in nothing but a pair of underwear. And sure enough, she was already being handed money.



"Give that back?"



"Not until the baby is born." She was adamant about that and Sasuke knew he wouldn't win the argument so he just pulled her into his lap and they waited. An hour later, Shikamaru came out.



"I have a son." There were cheers, clapping and pats on the back of the new father. It was during the commotion that two familiar faces showed up.



"Are we too late?" Everyone looked over to see Kankuro and Gaara, breathless, standing at the end of the hall.



"It's a boy!" Aito jumped up and ran over to them. Gaara just reached out and she jumped into his arms. "Heya Kazekage-sama!"



"Hello."



"You're saying I have a nephew?" Kankuro's make up was running. He walked over to Shimakaru and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man!"



"Why are you not dressed?"



"Oh, just woke up from a two month nap and was stripped down to nothing while I was sleeping and since I wanted to be here to win all of this money, which I did by the way, I just ran out and ichneyd the clothes."



"Hn." Gaara stared at the six year old in his arms and looked to Sasuke. "Where is Naruto?"



"Here." The red head turned and set Aito down when she squirmed to get free. "Gaara." Naruto's blue eyes looked down to the screaming ball of pale limbs that were flying at him and then looked past Gaara to Sasuke, silently asking for help. He wasn't given any. And then he was tackled to the floor. Sasuke walked over to stand next to the Kazekage who had crossed his arms in his usual pose.



"She is going to be a nudist."



"Hn." They looked at each other and then back to the wrestling blond and child. "Who's going to win?"



"Undetermined."



"I have heard of what happened. I am...happy for you." Sasuke nodded.



"Thank you Kazekage-sama." He didn't point out that Gaara struggled for a few seconds before coming out with the word happy because any conversation from the stoic figure was treasured. And amazingly, when Aito was sent to Suna on the occasional mission, she always came back with more gifts and gadgets than he himself knew what to do with. "What did she do to you?" Gaara turned to him for a moment and then back to the wrestling pair. Naruto had her pinned but because she was so small, she wiggled free and hopped on his back, bringing him into a choke-hold.



"He may not be her biological father but there is a spark in her. They are two of a kind, Naruto and Aito. After meeting them, a person is forever changed." There was cheering behind them and they turned to see Temari being wheeled out with a sleeping bundle in her arms. She looked ragged but had a smile on her face.



"Kankuro! Gaara!" She went to stand but the sudden flash of pain across her face sent the two brother's over to her side quickly.



"Who is that?" Sasuke looked down. Hikime. Looking back to the three Suna siblings he smiled.



"The Kazekage and his siblings, Kankuro and Temari. Temari and Shikamaru have just had a son."



"She told me." Hikime looked around. "May I please have some clothes?" her voice was small and she was using his leg as a shield away from the rest of the sinobi. It was apparent she was very uncomfortable. Sasuke looked at Sakura and mouthed 'blanket' at her, then looked down to Hikime. She nodded and left for a minute, reappearing with a child sized blanket. The girl took it and wrapped it around herself, then turned and headed back in the direction of her room. A hand on his arm had him turning. Naruto was there, watching the small retreating figure.



It may have been two months since everything happened but everyone was still dealing with the damage itatchi had done to the blond. He was slowly, very slowly, making progress. He remembered what emotions felt like and from there, it was easier for him than it was for Sai to learn them. The entire time Hikime had been in the hospital, Naruto had stayed at the Uchiha compound and only left long enough to come and see her. No one had heard anything from Itatchi but Sasuke got the sense that he was lingering around somewhere, waiting for an opportune time to show himself.



Together they walked off after Hikime and waited outside of her room. She just crawled onto the bed and sat there, staring out the window. He was really gone. The sadness in her heart could be sliced with a knife but Aito was saying it would all be alright. She had no one now. No one that knew her, well, other than Aito. She couldn't help feeling that somehow this was all wrong and with a small breath, she laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. What was she going to do now? Live here, in a country she was taught to despise? There was no way of getting out of it. She would have too. And, with that thought in her mind, she fell to sleep.



Naruto stood by the door while Sasuke sat on the chair outside the door. Neither of them said anything because there was nothing to say. But, after a moment, Naruto moved and sat down next to Sasuke, on the floor and Sasuke's hand came up to short blond spikes and started petting. If Itatchi was watching them right now, Sasuke smiled, he'd be getting very angry. Reaching in his pocket, Sasuke pulled out something he kept on his person whenever he left the compound. A small gold bracelet. Grabbing Naruto's right wrist, he slipped the gold ring on the tan arm and watched as it resized to fit the blond. Naruto stared at the gold band for a moment and then looked to Sasuke.



"I told you, you are mine now Naruto. Now, you will never leave without me knowing where you are." There was a growl on the wind and Sasuke just smiled again, reclining in his chair. Life was good. At least for now.





Over the next few weeks and then months, Hikime was finally brought to the good side of the world. She stopped looking like she'd rip someone's head off if they came near her, wasn't always on her guard and actually slept in the bedroom that Sasuke had said was hers. Well, Aito's and hers. Aito came out occasionally, like when they went to Chouji's restaurant. Hikime couldn't stomach sweets so Aito did it for her. Naruto had started talking more often than not and he smiled more and more. There were still times when he looked to the trees around him but those times were lessening over more time. It got to the point he finally stopped looking, and that's when he came back to himself.



Shino, unfortunately, was followed everywhere by Hikime. The girl was fascinated by his bugs, even though she squealed when he showed her a spider. Tsunade had talked with the elders of the village and they deemed Aito unfit to be a Hokage due to being two people in one. She was allowed, however, to stay a shinobi but Tsunade forced Hikime through the academy and the girl wasn't allowed to skip classes because she already knew everything. Naruto was given back his shinobi status and again promoted to Hokage in Training. It seemed the Elders deemed him worthy of the title. And were pretty much threatened in a nonchalant way by two Uchiha brats.



Itatchi hadn't been seen or heard from so everyone gave up on him. He went back in the bingo book as a wanted criminal and no one complained. Naruto's book was scratched out of everyone's little black book. No use in trying to kill the blond. he'd take them out first.



It was the night of Aito and Hikime's tenth birthday that they passed away. The disease had finally caught up with them and when Sasuke went to check on them, he found two little girls, not one, forever asleep and entwined. To say the greif that washed through the entire village would have made statues weep was an understatement. It rained the day of the funeral and for a day after that. Tsunade had a monument built for the girls and placed next to the memorial stone. Two girls, twins, forever guarding the names of those lost in the line of duty. No one objected. Naruto and Sasuke dealt with their grief in different ways. Naruto worked harder in his training to become Hokage while Sasuke spent time at the memorial stone staring at the statue of his two girls. Occasionally he felt a light touch on his face and he would smile, blowing a kiss to them before leaving.



Orochimaru was well and truly dead. The village of sound was wiped out by the other three hidden villages and it's shinobi scattered between the villages. Most of them were criminals but there was the occasional shinobi who had actually been a good man and he was taken within the ranks of the other villages. All in all, the threat of a sadistic megalomaniac trying to take over the world and find immortality had been ended. Eradicated more like. Tsunade and Jiraya felt the loss but they were not sorry and not once did they apologize. And even though he was a traitor, his name was added to the stone. He was after all, a great shinobi. He just went dark and twisted. Nothing to it.



With the sannin dead, Sasuke would never be able to have children again and for that, he didn't know if he was more thankful or depressed. Whatever the feeling was, he vowed that he would never forget the two little girls who had brought him back to his home, given him back Naruto and banished the grief he hadn't let go of for the loss of his clan. He and Naruto had gotten together and cleaned his parents room. Now that was where they slept, every night. Sasuke could swear he felt his mother in that room and the watchful gaze of his father but he ignored it in favor of doing unmentionable things to the blond he'd ensnared.



It was amazing the things a child could do, let alone two. What started out as two abominations had turned into two memorable souls who brought those in need together for better or worse. It was a gift to be cherished.



And cherish they did.