Mirai : A Time Travel Tale

Chapter 8

Mirai

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

...

If his silence wasn't a pointer towards his melancholy than his incessant sighs sure as hell were. Not that his acceptance of the fate of Shuu's personal diaper changer - at long last - wasn't a complete give away. "You're sulking." Kurenai mentioned off-handidly, folding dried laundry and putting it away where it belonged.

Another sighed escaped the last Uchiha. He picked Shuu up who had been using Sasuke's foot as his canvass for the past half an hour. The little guy dropped his marker and whimpered but forgot it soon when Sasuke's warmth pressed into him. "That obvious, huh?" He patted Shuu's head when he reached out for his nose. "It's nothing." He turned to the kitchen to feed his son.

Kurenai followed after him, concerned by the heavy cloud hanging over his head. This was so out of character of him - being mopy and all. She watched him prepare Shuu's milk, testing the temperature by sprinkling a few drops on his arm. The baby latched hungrily on the bottle once Sasuke was satisfied with his preparation and the duo returned to the living room where the youngest of the two Uchiha was quick to fall asleep. Kurenai waited for elaboration but none came. "Well, Sasuke. Are you going to tell me or not?" They were whispering now.

Running his good hand through Shuu's hair, he began. "I got in a fight with your student today."

A dark eyebrow rose, "Kiba?" Again?

"The Hyuuga."

"Hinata?" Kurenai blinked incredulously at him. What was it with him always picking fights with her students? But the million dollar question was: "how did you manage that?" How did he really manage to work up Hinata, of all people? She was as docile as a baby chick.

He shrugged, "Don't know. Maybe I'm really that hateful."

"Or maybe you don't try to be nice." She said in annoyance because she knew it was as easy to ruffle his feathers as it was to perform henge. And when he was irritated, he let it know.

Sasuke frowned. "I don't know her, Kurenai. I don't exactly owe her anything. She got in my way, I had to tell her."

"And how did you tell her exactly?"

The Uchiha patriarch had to displace Shuu in his room lest their talking woke him up. He had a long discussion and a lot of explaining to do, defending more exactly, or Kurenai won't get off his back. Talking wasn't something he liked doing much but what other choice did he have? He didn't any. That was the thing when dealing with mothers: you just had to surrender to their will. "The same way one shinobi tells the other." Sasuke closed the door behind him.

Her eyebrows jumped to her forehead again. "You attacked her? Physically?" When he refused to answer, her anger spiked. "Did you hurt her?"

"She didn't need my help to walk home so she is okay, I guess. "

Kurenai felt like punching him in the face but decided on taking a deep calming breath instead. "I could report to the hokage and you could get in trouble."

"What's stopping you?" He spat.

The crimson eyed shinobi turned her head in the direction of his bedroom where a tiny being slept away without a worry in the world. "If they took you, he might not have another chance at family, not as good as this one at least." Her eyes landed on him and she looked deep into his mismatched pair, as if baring his soul. "You are not a bad person, Sasuke. I've seen enough to know that. And neither is she. She doesn't get hostile either because she is too kind. So tell me, what really occured for two good people to be reduced to exchanging blows?"