The Agreement

I’ve finally figured out why so many people like y!Gallery. I joined yesterday and have spent a good portion of yesterday and today playing around with it. I even made up my own icons and background for it. Speaking of icons, I finally have one on my profile page on Fanfiction dot Net.

Anyway, enjoy the last chapter before the Epilogue!

The Agreement

Chapter 26: Facing the In-Laws

Sasuke sat on his couch in his living room in his house – that just happened to reside on Hyuuga property. It was something that Sasuke was very much aware of, especially now that he needed to speak with Hiashi.

Sasuke had moved into the Hyuuga household because, as Neji had said at one point, he was the only one left of his clan. It had been true, though harsh. It only made sense that they would live with the Hyuugas since Sasuke’s family had long since died. Stilly, Sasuke could still remember Neji's tone of voice just two days after he and Hinata had made their agreement. The condescending tone when Neji had remarked about Sasuke’s lack of family still bothered Sasuke, even if Neji had been right – at the time.

"Your clan consists of you, and you alone. I don't know if you can really consider that a clan."

At the time, Neji had been right. Sasuke had been the only other living Uchiha (that he knew of – though he never knew when a random, supposedly dead relative might pop up again) when Neji had said that. Now, there were three very healthy Uchiha living in addition to himself. His children had become the next generation of Uchiha.

When Hinata and he had discussed the parentage of the children, they had discussed whether or not to have a biological child between them. It had been Hinata, in her quiet voice, who had said that she would rather not have children with a man who she did not love and did not love her. Sasuke was perfectly okay with that.

Clan ties had still been forged between Hyuuga and Uchiha. Tenpi was related to Sasuke’s children, therefore creating the bond between Hyuuga and Uchiha – through Naruto's blood ironically enough,

The problem was explaining all of this to Hiashi.

Sasuke sat on his couch in his living room in his house on Hyuuga property, staring across at Hyuuga Hiashi who sat looking as pissed off as Sasuke had ever seen him.

It had been Sasuke's idea to invite Hiashi over to explain the situation, and he had felt that need to be the one to explain the situation since he had been the one to start the whole mess in the first place. Sasuke had kindly invited Hiashi into his home while Naruto and Hinata left for the afternoon with the children.

As soon as Hiashi had sat down (and without any preamble) Sasuke launched into an edited version of their current situation. The edited version explained that without Naruto's knowledge, Sasuke and Hinata had married him (and Sasuke grudgingly added Sakura to the mix). It also included the fact that Tenpi was Hinata and Naruto's biological son where as Seiryuu, Kitsu, and Muchuu were Sasuke and Naruto's biological children, the edited version being hazy as to how the children could be from two males.

Twenty minutes after Sasuke's explanation he still sat staring at his Father-in-law who had yet to speak. Sasuke shifted his position on the couch slightly, watching Hiashi's anger slowly die down. Sasuke was grateful that Hiashi was a man of honor and was therefore (or so Sasuke presumed) waiting to speak until his anger had been reigned in lest he regret his words.

Another five minutes passed in silence. Sasuke would have started to get nervous if it weren't for the fact that he could see the subtle changes from Hiashi's expression slowly melt from anger to a look of slight curiosity. When he finally spoke, the question that came from his lips actually startled Sasuke.

"How did you get Naruto's sperm without him knowing about it?" Hiashi asked. Sasuke raised his eyebrows, taken aback. Hiashi watched Sasuke's face and then held up his hands. "Your face is telling me more than I want to know already. Don't tell me. I doubt I truly want to know."

"Would you like some tea?" Sasuke offered. Hiashi didn't even miss a beat in his response.

"Yes."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Another twenty minutes passed in silence. Just as Sasuke was about to break the silence that was slowly driving him mad, Hiashi finally spoke.

"What you did was irrational, irresponsible, and idiotic. You lied to not only me and the rest of the Hyuugas, but Sakura and Naruto as well. There are many things that I don't understand, and many things that I do not agree with what you have done." Hiashi's voice was stern, and there was an edge to his voice that implied he was used to scolding those who rubbed him the wrong way or disobeyed him. "And while there are a lot of things that I will need to know as head of the Hyuuga household that you have not yet explained to me, there is one thing I want to know how you managed to accomplish."

The dramatic pause would have made a lesser man tremble. As it was, Sasuke just wanted Hiashi to hurry up.

"How did you manage to convince my daughter to go along with such an outrageous plan?" Hiashi asked, frowning. Sasuke frowned as well.

"I asked her," Sasuke clipped, once again surprised by Hiashi. Hiashi narrowed his eyes and gripped his tea rather forcibly. Sasuke was reminded of how he had gripped his cup so tightly just that morning, and he again appreciated the sturdiness of the cups in their collection. He was also grateful that Hiashi had something in his hand as he had a strong feeling that Hiashi would love to have been squeezing his neck instead of the cup.

"Besides being slightly upset," Hiashi began, and Sasuke had to hold in a snort. If Hiashi was only slightly upset it was like calling Sasuke only slightly obsessed with Naruto. He didn't make any noise of disbelief, though Hiashi had stopped talking to give Sasuke a stern look as though daring him to say otherwise. "Besides being slightly upset," Hiashi repeated, "I must say that I am a bit stunned that my eldest daughter went along with such an eccentric plan. No doubt you are aware of Hinata's usually quiet and reserved nature. The fact that she agreed to something like this makes me wonder at her own deviousness. I think I am actually rather proud of her that she went along with it to get what she wanted."

For the third time, Sasuke was taken by surprise. He hadn't expected Hiashi to take things so well. Then again, Sasuke knew that his good fortune would run out eventually as Hiashi's next words proved.

"Now I want you moved out of this complex by night fall," Hiashi stated calmly.

"What?" Sasuke snapped. Hiashi tilted his head up, standing up so he could stare down at Sasuke. Sasuke stood up as well, and glared back, though it would have been more effective if Hiashi hadn't been taller than him.

"You lied to me and my clansmen. You are not the true father of the only Hyuuga heir. I want you gone."

"But the quads-"

"May all stay together. They are Tenpi's siblings. In some ways," Hiashi said, his voice lowering, "I am grateful that they will never have to worry about having the cursed seal while Tenpi is allowed the privilege of being a head member as well as having the comfort of having siblings who will never need to become branch family members. You, on the other hand, are an abomination of a man who will stop at nothing, while hurting anyone you please, in order to achieve what you desire. You are no longer welcome here. Get. Out."

Rage coursed through Sasuke as he clenched his fists at his sides to prevent from lashing out and punching Hiashi full on in the face. Separate himself from his children, from Naruto – from Hinata? That wasn’t happening.

Sasuke had a family again. Hiashi was right though. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and he wanted to keep his family together above everything else. Sasuke stood rigid, not even flinching as Hiashi left without another word, slamming the door behind him.

When Naruto, Hinata, and the quads returned less than a half hour later, Sasuke had scouted through the house and had already packed a small traveling bag. There was very little that he needed in the way of items as he was a shinobi and trained to live without many comforts. (Not to mention he still owned the Uchiha complex and he could always stay there if necessary.) Even so, his mind was formulating different plans while his body went through the actions of getting ready.

Upon their return, neither Naruto nor Hinata asked how his meeting with Hiashi went. It was only his surprise at their lack of concern when Sasuke noted Naruto's extremely dejected look along with the way that Hinata was throwing slightly worried glances at Naruto. She and Naruto took the quads out of the elaborate stroller that carried all four children, both of them quieter than usual.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, worried.

"We ran into Sakura," Hinata said quietly. That certainly explained Naruto's dejected look. Even so, Sasuke felt almost cheated. He had wanted to be there the next time that Naruto saw Sakura. He had wanted to be a part of whatever lashing out Sakura might give Naruto – or, as Sasuke hoped but doubted – whatever lashing that Naruto might give to Sakura. It didn't seem fair that he hadn't been able to be there when Sakura and Naruto met for the first time after Sasuke had finally made love to Naruto.

Seeing the sadness in Naruto's eyes made Sasuke want to reach out and comfort him. With a jolt, Sasuke realized that now, after all these years, he could.

Sasuke gently caressed Naruto's cheek with the back of his hand before gently cupping Naruto's chin. He placed a soft kiss on Naruto's lips and once again moved his hand to caress Naruto's cheek.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke murmured, locking eyes with Naruto's. Wide, blue eyes stared back at him, sadness gone replaced with surprise. Naruto seemed shocked at Sasuke's gentleness, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the fact that Naruto actually blushed at such tender contact. Even so, between the two of them, and especially for Sasuke, the gesture was intimate in its own right.

"Y-yeah," Naruto said, almost breathlessly. His blush vanished and he gave a small, impish grin back at Sasuke. "Yeah. Of course I'm okay. I always am!" Naruto said, suddenly grinning widely. "Now you mister," Naruto said, turning his attention towards Kitsu, "need a diaper change. You stink something awful."

Sasuke watched as Naruto picked Kitsu up and headed upstairs. He cocked his head to the side, wondering if Naruto was using Kitsu's diaper change as a way of avoiding speaking to him, but he let it go. Naruto’s sorrow seemed to have gone for the time being, and Sasuke could always ask Hinata about what had caused his sadness. Besides, he needed to speak with her anyway.

"Your father is kicking me out. I need to leave by tonight," Sasuke said as he picked up Tenpi and plucked the fuzz from his hand just as Tenpi had begun to shove the fuzz in his mouth. "No fuzz balls," Sasuke said sternly. Tenpi gave Sasuke a glare that he vaguely recognized as one he saw while looking in the mirror. Tenpi held out his hand and made a face, reaching for the fuzz that had been snatched from him. Sasuke deflected the on-coming temper tantrum by placing Tenpi back on the floor and putting a soft block in his hand to distract him.

"Tonight?" Hinata asked, her voice shocked.

"Yes, tonight. Now," Sasuke said, changing the subject, "what happened with Sakura?" Hinata looked like she was about to try and change the subject back to what had happened between Sasuke and her father. She shook her head as though thinking better of it.

"Naruto wanted to take the quads to the top of the Hokage Mountain," Hinata explained. "Of course, it took a lot longer with the stroller, but it was such a nice day that we didn't mind going up the path instead of getting there a faster way." By faster, Sasuke presumed she meant jumping from formation to formation as Naruto was known to do. "Sakura and Ino were walking the path, talking about, well…you."

It didn't surprise Sasuke. He was sure that he had ended up shocking Sakura a good deal the other day.

"They stopped talking once they saw us. Naturally Sakura was not happy to see Naruto and me out together with the quads. Sakura actually didn't say anything mean though." Hinata began to fidget with her hands as though it would have been easier for her if Sakura had been mean instead of nice to her. Sasuke would have to remind her again that the whole thing had been his idea, and that Sakura should direct his anger at him, not her. He would also remind her that Sakura had hit her, and Sakura apologize to her, which he was pretty sure she had yet to do. "Sakura saw Naruto and she looked so hurt. Naruto looked like he didn't know what to do with her there. Sakura turned her back to us, facing Ino as we began to walk by. Naruto watched her for a moment as we passed before looking away, and then Sakura said, ‘I'm sorry’ to Naruto."

Sasuke was grateful that Sakura regretted her infidelity, but he half wished that she would be more disagreeable so it would be easier for Naruto to forget her.

"Naruto turned to look at her, even though she had her back to us, and said, ‘I love you Sakura, but I love my family more. And, I don't think you really fit into my family.’ He started crying as he said it," Hinata wiped a tear from her eye, as she began to cry at the memory. "We walked up the Hokage Mountain, but Naruto didn't talk at all. He was so sad the entire time. Watching how you cheered him up just now...you do really know how to make him happy," Hinata said.

Sasuke didn't know what to say to Hinata. She was complimenting him even though Sasuke had just kissed the man she loved. He wondered how anyone could be as nice as Hinata, especially after having a father like Hiashi.

"And you can't leave. That would devastate the quads and Naruto. And me too," Hinata added, looking at her hands. "I'll...I'll ta-talk with my father. He c-can't make you leave if I-I don't want you t-too," Hinata said firmly. Sasuke pondered how someone could sound firm while stuttering, but Hinata managed to pull it off. "It's not like you to just leave which means you're planning something. And, no offense, but your plans tend to be a bit over the top. Let me t-talk to my father f-first."

Hinata had a point. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how well talking to her father would work, but she was right about his plans being over the top; he had actually began planning a more diplomatic approach, but filing a lawsuit against Hiashi for illegal house eviction did seem a bit extreme if he expected to be allowed back into their home.

It didn't take long for Naruto to return downstairs with Kitsu smelling much better than when he had left. Naruto grinned widely at his handy-work, and Sasuke was grateful that he still seemed in good spirits. Sasuke had wondered if Naruto would start to think about Sakura when he left the room, though if he had, it didn’t seem to have impacted his move. Sasuke still wished that he had been there with Naruto when he met Sakura, although he was sure he would have said something to start a fight with her. Naruto probably didn't need that, so maybe it was better in the long run that he hadn't been there.

Just as nonchalantly as Sasuke had told Hinata that her father was kicking him out, Hinata explained to Naruto that Hiashi wanted Sasuke to leave. Hinata added that she was going to talk to her father first to try and get him to change his mind.

"You're gonna talk to him? But you're terrified of him!" Naruto said. Sasuke almost chuckled at Naruto's complete lack of tack, but refrained. Hinata seemed a bit crestfallen at Naruto's lack of confidence in her.

"She'll be fine," Sasuke said. Naruto glanced over at him and seemed to realize how unsupportive he was being.

"Yeah, Sasuke's right. You'll do great," Naruto said, though it sounded forced and fake. If Hinata managed to convince Hiashi to let him stay, Sasuke would have to remember to smack Naruto later.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Sunset came and went, and Sasuke stayed, waiting in the living room with Naruto and Hinata. The three of them were unsurprised to hear a knock at the door not long after sundown. Hinata answered the door.

Hiashi, closely followed by Neji, entered. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He should have known that Hiashi would get Neji, Neji who had been least supportive of his marriage to Hinata, to come and act as "back-up."

"I told you to leave," Hiashi said, his voice calm despite the tension in the air.

"What are you going to do? Grab me by my arms and make me leave?" Sasuke asked. "Surely you're not planning on fighting here in my house with your grandchildren upstairs."

"Leave, or I will call the ANBU Police." Hiashi paused before adding, "Though it’s a good thing that there are no longer any Uchiha on the police force. They would have surely found a way to help back up your trouble," Hiashi clipped.

Sasuke saw red. How dare Hiashi imply that it was better that his family were dead?!

"Why you -" Sasuke started with a snarl.

"You jerk! That was cruel! You ought to-" Naruto began but was interrupted as Sasuke also threw insults back at Hiashi.

"Enough of this, all of you!" Hinata finally yelled. The insults stopped as Sasuke and Naruto looked at her in shock. She turned to look at her father, her face held high, her shoulders set.

"You-you can't kick Sasuke out. He's my husband, and I say he stays," Hinata said her body shaking in rage or fear, Sasuke couldn't tell, but it seemed effective nonetheless.

"Are you questioning me?" Hiashi demanded, his eyes blazing.

"He's part of this family, and he stays," Hinata said, her voice not cracking once.

"Uncle Hiashi, Hinata-sama has a point," Neji said thoughtfully. Hiashi shot a disbelieving look at Neji. If Sasuke hadn't already been so surprised with Hinata's outburst, he was sure that his jaw would have dropped to hear Neji defending the idea of Sasuke staying.

"Yeah, she does have a point," Naruto said firmly, and he looked the least surprised out of everyone that Neji would be defending Sasuke as though Naruto had expected it all along. Sasuke mused that Naruto probably had.

Neji continued. "Tenpi, like the rest of the quads, are used to having Sasuke as their father figure. Leaving now could bring upon emotional psychological damage."

"They're barely a year old. They'll forget about him," Hiashi snapped.

"Perhaps, though the quads are extremely smart. They are amazingly advanced for their age, as you've surely noticed. Not only is their genetic parentage strong, but also the benefits of growing up watching the experiences of their siblings has given them an advantage over other children. Surely you are aware that children born with twins develop mentally faster," Neji said. Sasuke almost grinned, pleasantly surprised that Neji was getting a jab in at Hiashi as he reminded his uncle that his own father had been Hiashi’s younger twin. Maybe Neji had a vendetta against his uncle still. "Their advanced intelligence means they might not forget. It also means that they will need more attention, and three parents for four children are much better odds than just two adults in the house," Neji argued rationally. "And Sasuke is really harmless, so it couldn't hurt to let him stay."

If it weren't for the fact that Neji was arguing for his stay, Sasuke would have challenged just how “harmless” Neji seemed to imply that he was. Hiashi glared at Neji, then Sasuke, then Hinata, and back at Sasuke.

"If you pull another stunt like you did before, not only will you be kicked out of this complex, but I will make sure you won't be able to physically walk back here on your own two feet." And with that, Hiashi turned and slammed the door behind him for the second time that day.

Hinata looked stunned, as though she couldn't believe she had just stood up to her father. Naruto whooped and clapped Hinata encouragingly on the back before engulfing her in a big hug and swinging her around.

"That was awesome Hinata!" Naruto said enthusiastically before setting her back down. Neji looked at Naruto and Hinata before stepping closer to Sasuke, speaking so quiet that only Sasuke could hear him.

"I didn't do that for you," Neji clarified, looking pointedly at Naruto and Hinata. "He might have chased after you if you left."

"For someone who used to hate Hinata, you really seem to have had a change of heart," Sasuke mused.

"It's Naruto's influences. He changes people, as you ought to know," Neji said before walking off.

"Indeed."

Sasuke watched Naruto bouncing with enthusiasm as he told her how proud he was of her for standing up to her father like that. Even though Neji had done most of the “arguing” Sasuke was also proud that Hinata had stood up to her father too.

Sasuke half-smiled thinking about how he had finally seemed to get what he wanted.

He was sure Naruto would feel depressed about Sakura once his elation left him, but Sasuke felt confident that he would make Naruto see that being with them was the best option. They'd be a loving, happy family. Sasuke could feel it.

And they were. They all lived happily ever after…until their divorce 20 years later.


Epilogue: The Divorce


The Epilogue will be out this Saturday. It’s bitter sweet to see it ending, but I’m actually really pleased with the ending. I don’t think it will be what anyone expects.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! ~ Jelp