Chapter Text
“Kawaki, this is Rock Lee, our friend and taijutsu master. Lee, this is Kawaki, our foster.”
“GOOD TO FINALLY MEET YA KAWAKI! I HOPE WE CAN WEAVE A FATEFUL BOND OF PUPIL AND SENSEI!”
Poor Kawaki almost blasted back by Lee’s loud declaration. He looks to Neji with help, which Neji only replies with a weak smile.
“Don’t worry, Lee is harmless,” Neji says placatingly.
“That’s true! I will never harm a child! But you will be sore from the pursuit of knowledge and strenght!”
Kawaki looks dejected, and Neji knows exactly how it feels, but he’ll also know that soon Kawaki will change his mind.
Despite Lee’s personality that can be a bit much, he’s often the moral support needed for the sullen-minded. Neji wouldn’t admit it aloud, but there are times when Neji was thirteen that he was pulled from dark thoughts from getting darker by Lee’s asseninety alone. Hopefully, Kawaki will get the same effect.
Though the main reason why Lee is picking up Kawaki is to train him taijutsu with the best taijutsu master Konoha ever has.
Kawaki looks a little nervous, he always does around someone new, but Neji trusts Lee enough to know what he’s doing, and he trusts Kawaki and the 2 anbus surrounding him that he’ll be fine.
Neji wants to watch over Kawaki, but Sasuke being pulled for an emergency mission and Neji’s responsibillity for his genin team’s approaching chuunin exams, there’s no one that can watch him.
It’s hard seeing Kawaki so tense, watching Lee closely as if trying to find a threat, but Lee’s ever cheerful smile soothes his nerves a little.
++++
Konoha is not at all what Kawaki thought.
He wasn’t born when the war had ended, but living in a village that was heavily affected by it, brought to poverty because of it, it was all the villagers can talk about. It was all his father ever talked about. “I used to be someone before the war! Until a weird eyed bastard set aflame our lands, MY LANDS! Nothing grows anymore!” And for some reason, it was all Kawaki’s fault that they’re struggling. Kawaki had believed him, until Jigen.
Kawaki thought he’d finally be someone more than just a kid forced to work, turns out, he’s only become a kid forced to fight. Kawaki isn’t the only succesfull experiement. He battled with other kids with the karma seal. The number of times he almost kills them can’t be counted by hands. Preventing Isshiki to poses unideal bodies, Jigen forcefully brings them back to health, and they always come back different. The worse thing is, Kawaki hadn’t meant to. It was either them or him, and he only fight back enough to survive but the Karma seal always seems like it has a mind on its own when he uses it.
When Uchiha Sasuke quite literally burst the nests into flames, Kawaki had stars in his eyes. This is Konoha’s shinobi, strong and prestigious as they banishes evil that isn’t even their responsibility.
Then Kawaki was caught, and he knew he was going to die. Kawaki is nothing but a weapon created by evil, a place like Konoha wouldn’t have let him run free. Kawaki felt as if time had frozen, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t emote. He’s going to die, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Everything passes in a blur, until a strong angry growl of “No,” resonates through the room.
It snaps Kawaki out of his frozen state of mind and finally take in his surrunding. He’s in a big room where a lot of old people stands behind him, and Uchiha Sasuke in front of him. The man that killed his handlers is fighting for his life to be spared, Kawaki immediately knows that it’s not a good sign, and he’s proven correct.
He’s a weapon, forced to fight for a different side this time, or so he thought.
The Uchiha couple is weird. They talk, they want to know what he thinks, they made him do things that has nothing to do with the Karma seal. And when they ask what he wants to do, Kawaki takes a gamble, because the past few weeks had been nothing like he expected. Kawaki expected to be scorned and denied when he said he doesn’t want to use his chakra, again, he’s proven wrong.
Now he’s stuck with the so called ‘best taijutsu master in all Konoha’. Kawaki only has doubts about Lee, but when Lee starts teaching, it starts to show that the title held merit.
In the middle of the noon, his lungs want to explode and his muscles are burning.
“I think it’s time for a break! Let’s go sit in the shades,” Lee says, pointing at the shadow of the dojo around the open field.
Kawaki disagree of course, Jigen usually pushes him harder than this, but he’s getting used to this treatment. Sasuke gave hi breaks prematurely too.
“Daaad!!!” screams a voice, and came another Lee, a mini version of him, and a little girl. “I brought lunch!” the boy exclaimed, pointing at the big bag on his back.
Kawaki doesn’t tense as much around children, on the contrary, he feels a little relieved at someone around his age being around than being left alone with adults. The kids notice him immediately, eyes sparkling as they approach even faster towards him. Kawaki might change his mind, he feels a little intimidated by their ray of cheerfulness.
“Hello! You must be Uncle Sasuke’s and Uncle Neji’s foster son!” the mini-Lee bows so fast in a 90-degree angle that Kawaki feels the momentum of air from it. “I’m Metal! Nice to meet you!”
The little girl, can’t be older than six, also lowered her head, “I’m Sarada!” the girl lowers her head. She’s adorable, Kawaki never seen a kid this young and seem so nice.
“Kawaki,” he bows, mirroring them. He rarely bows anymore, and he feels stiff.
“I’m glad you kids can meet! Now, let’s dig in!”
Kawaki thought that he’d be sent home to eat lunch at the Uchiha’s since they’re his handlers, but no, Lee told him immediately to sit down on a piece of cloth as Metal pull out food after food from the bag, even little Sarada helped. It’s really a lot of food, he doesn’t know how Metal could carry all that.
Kawaki barely talks about anything as he eats, the conversation is more dominated by Metal and Lee. They talk about school, and their mom, Sakura. Kawaki just sits there and listen to their day and feels a burn in the depths of his gut. He doesn’t know what it is. Seeing Metal so cheerful and the everlasting smile on his face, how proud Lee looks at him, how they all patiently wait for Sarada to stumble her way to talk and look at her so proudly. It stings.
“How about you, Kawaki?”
Being addressed snaps him from his reverie, “I mean… I’ve been training all day.”
“Yeah? And how is it?” Metal asks again.
“It’s… less taxing than I used to.”
Lee’s smile drops a little, curious, “Does Sasuke trains you harder? But you were already so exhausted.”
“No, I didn’t mean Sasuke, I meant…” his words falters, he realizes that he can’t say his previous ‘handler’. He knows for his own survival, no one can know his past. “My… um, my previous dad.”
“Oh…” Metal says, the smile is entirely gone from his face.
“Does that mean you change dads?” Sarada asks innocently. “I don’t know you can do that!”
Lee is forlorn, “Sarada my lovely dearest child! Do you want to exchange your dad as well??? But I love you so much my darling!” to Kawaki’s horror, Lee weeps as he holds on his daughter tightly in his arms.
Sarada only rolls her eyes and sighs exhasperatedly, “No dad, I don’t want to exchange you. Now unhand me before you embarrass me more in front of Uncle Sasuke’s kid!”
“I’m not…” they continue bickering, “…their kid.”
Kawaki continues eating, not caring anymore about their misunderstanding.
.-.-.-.-.
They continue training for another hour, joined by Metal and watched by Sarada. It’s odd, but Kawaki feels less tense with them around, also, Metal is also really good at teaching.
At the end of the day, Metal and Sarada asks him to spend the rest of the day together. Kawaki glances nervously at Lee, trying to decipher his expression. He doesn’t know, nor does he want to find out the consecuences of saying no, so Kawaki went along.
They take him around the village, to the field they like to play, a park they like to go to a picnic with, and in the end, their house.
Their house is similar to the Uchiha’s, it felt lived in, there are tons of pictures around, and lots of toys. The Uchiha’s other room is filled with toys too. Kawaki isn’t too interested in it when Metal and Sarada shows their toys.
“Hey, is it okay if I visit Uncle’s house?” Sarada asks, tugging at Kawaki’s sleeves.
“Sarada!” Metal whispers loudly, “We’re supposed to talk to our uncles first!”
“Yeah, but Kawaki is here, why not ask him directly?” Sarada huffs.
“Why can’t you come over?” Kawaki asks, there’s a churning in his gut that fear the answer.
“Uh,” Metal rubs the back of his neck. “Uncle said that you need… um, adjusting? Said that you don’t like new people much.”
Kawaki feels conflicted, even though that’s true, does the Uchiha’s had other intentions?
“I don’t mind you two,” Kawaki finally says.
“Really!?” Sarada exclaims with a cheerful smile, “Let’s go then! I want to see Jike! I miss her a lot! I miss the fishes!!”
No one was home when Kawaki returns with Metal and Sarada. Well, no one but Jike, who runs around them in a circle.
“I wonder if she ever gets sick spinning like that,” Kawaki says.
“Right? I’ve always wondered too!” Metal giggles.
Kawaki just watches over them as Metal help himself to make cold tea while Sarada is playing with Jike on the children’s room. Kawaki keeps eyeing the cookie jar on the top of the shelf. It looks so good and he was too distracted to eat much of lunch today.
“You can’t reach the shelves?” Metal says right next to his ear all of the sudden.
“Wh-what? No- hey, I’m taller than you!”
“Yeah, but maybe like you couldn’t lift your hand or something,” Metal shrugs and takes the cookie jar, standing on his tiptoes. “Here!”
“Wouldn’t the Uchihas be angry that you’re doing this?”
Metal tilt his head, “Why would they? It’s just cookies.”
“It’s theirs, and they didn’t give permission.”
“Permission? Hm, not for the cookies from what I know! The only thing we need permission for is the food we feed Jike, which by the way, she can’t eat cookies nor fish food.”
“That’s a given though…”
“Ha! Yeah, tell Boruto that. He almost gave Jike chocolate chip cookie! Which is poison for dogs!”
“Boruto… that’s the Uchiha’s family too, right?”
“Yeah! Here!” Metal gesture him to follow and points a blond boy at a picture. “That’s Boruto, the Hokage’s son with uncle Neji’s cousin, Hinata.”
“Oh.” Because Kawaki doesn’t know what to say. His handlers are related to the leader of the city that wants to kill or enslave him, though his handlers have been going easy on him, the big picture isn’t looking too good.
“You know, out of all of us, Boruto is the one that visit our uncles the most.”
“He’s never been here while I am.”
“Eh, he will. He’s a little brass though, don’t take his harsh words to heart!”
“…okay, I guess.”
Kawaki doesn’t know what to do with himself. It’s the first time that there are no adults in his proximity, just kids. He barely talks to them, only answers what he can when they ask, and he only watch them play with Jike while drinking the tea Metal made and the cookies. Kawaki watches longingly at the siblings playing with Jike that has an abundance of energy. They’re smiling so wide all their teeth shows.
They look so happy. It’s infectious to look at them that way, there’s a bubbling feeling reminiscent to their smile inside him. Jike looks happy too, safe to play with them. Kawaki wants to go there and play with them too, but-
“Metal? Sarada? Is that you?” calls a different voice. A kid’s voice though, it didn’t immediately make Kawaki tense. A pale blond girl came rushing from the side of the house and straight to Metal and Sarada, not knowing that Kawaki is there.
The second child though, whips his head right at him as he emerges from the side, “Who’re you!?” Says the kid baring his canine teeth.
Another boy pops into the scene and smack the growly boy at the back of his head, “Shin, stop that. Can’t you deduct that this is sensei’s foster child?”
“That’s the idiot mutt for ya!” Exclaims the blond girl, giggling conspiratorily with Sarada.
“Hey!”
The backdoor opens to Neji, who smiles apologetically at him, “Sorry, I thought you’d still be at Lee’s place, he told me he wants to take you sight seeing.”
Kawaki tensed, if he said the truth, will Neji believe him? Why would Lee lie to his friend like that? Had they never been that close of a friend to begin with? But they seemed so close! Lee’s children are here, they’re on the f*cking flowery sappy family picture dammit how did he-
“You brought the cookies out.”
Kawaki looks down to the half-eaten cookie in his hand and feel sick. He’s going to-
“Good, I’ll bring the rest out. Can you get me that pitcher? I’ll refill it.”
Kawaki passes the empty pitcher and watches silently as Neji retreats inside the house, no trace of anger or annoyance on his face. Kawaki’s body just went through a lot of emotions, and suddenly, he doesn’t feel too well and put back the half-eaten cookies. At the thought of Neji being angry that he doesn’t finish his food, he picks it back up.
“You don’t have to finish it if you don’t like it,” Neji says, returning with a plate of grapes and orange slices and a refilled barley tea. “You look pale, are you okay?”
“I’m-I’m fine.”
Neji frowns upsetly and raises his hand. At the sight of Kawaki tensing up, he stops, “I’m going to touch your temple to check your temperature. I’m going to be quick, is that okay?”
“Y-yes,” Kawaki says dumbly, shock is now added to the mix of feelings churning in his gut. Neji presses his hand on his forehead. It’s gentle, and best of all, his palm feels warm and soothing. There’s no intent of harming, there’s just a simple, gentle, palm on his skin.
“You feel ice cold,” Neji sighs dejectedly, “Do you feel your heart is racing?”
“Yes.”
“I’m truly sorry, I should’ve been stricter with them in prohibiting them to come over. I can tell them to leave if you-”
“No!” Kawaki exclaims, so loud that the kids stop playing and turn their heads at them. Kawaki gulps. “N-no… I don’t mind if it’s-if it’s kids, I think.”
Neji’s shock bleeds away as he studies Kawaki’s expression, “Do you think that being around kids your age makes you feel better?”
Kawaki furrows his eyebrows at the odd question, as he tries to answer, it made him think. Earlier today, he was tense around Lee no matter how cheerfully innocent he looks. When Lee’s kids were around, it was easier to breath for some reason.
“I-I think so.”
“I see, well then. Is it okay if I introduce you to Himawari and Boruto? Perhaps having more kids your age can help.”
“They’re the Hokage’s children, right?”
“Yes.”
Kawaki grimaces. He’s okay with kids, but he doesn’t know what to think of the kids of this village’s leader. They couldn’t be that bad, could they?
++++
Kawaki hits it off with Himawari right away, and the polar opposite with Boruto.
Himawari –despite her shyness– is very friendly towards everyone. There’s not one person yet that hasn’t melted around her, Sasuke included. Boruto however, had become pricklier around Kawaki. Harsher with his words, and there’s dislike that initiated by Boruto and then continued by Kawaki, who’s already so guarded at his suspiciousness of the Hokage that he extended towards his children.
It had come to a boiling point when the two boys screamed.
“That’s not true!” Screamed Boruto, “Take that back right now!”
“You don’t know anything about me! Stop telling me what to do and what to feel!”
“Yes I can when it’s all f*cking lies!”
“Boys. Stop,” Sasuke scolds, standing loomingly at the doorframe of the kids’ room. Himawari is pouting, seemingly used to her brother’s antics. Sasuke is relieved she’s not crying, except for Jike, who’s standing in the corner because of the loud noises.
The two boys look at him, Boruto with anger, and Kawaki with fear.
“Boruto, I need to talk to you.”
“WHAT! But this is all his fault!”
“I don’t know that yet, I’ll talk to him too, but first, you. Come out with me.”
“UGH! This is unfair!!” Boruto groans and stomps his way out of the house to the garden where Sasuke finally sighs.
“Tell me what happen, from the top.”
Boruto starts with grumbling to rapping, Sasuke had to tell him to slow down from time to time.
Turns out, Boruto had been poking at Kawaki’s past too much and Kawaki – knowing that he couldn’t tell – evades Boruto’s question which then set him off. Boruto doesn’t like that Kawaki is secretive, he kept saying that Kawaki should be lucky to stay in a good home. Sasuke swallowed a sigh at that.
Somehow it breaks when Kawaki said, “Your dad is a Hokage, of course you’d be as cold-blooded as he is.” Then Boruto starts to ramble again.
“Alright, I’ve heard enough… Boruto, you know that sometimes I have nightmares, don’t you?”
Boruto quirk an eyebrow, “Yeah? What does that have to do with anything?”
Sasuke smiles a little at how casually Boruto accept it. The kids stay over often, and sometimes Sasuke has nightmares when they come over. It had been a short conversation to explain, and an amazing discovery for both Neji and Sasuke.
“I told you, that it’s because something bad that happen a long time ago that I can’t forget, right?”
“Riiiight.”
“Something bad happened to Kawaki too. Only that the bad things that happen to him doesn’t become nightmares, but it becomes his behavior.”
Boruto knits his eyebrows, “I don’t get it.”
Sasuke can’t believe that he’s going to explain what trauma is to someone else’s kid, but he guesses this is as close as any.
“Boruto, when you have a wound on your skin, sometimes it leaves behind a scar, right?”
“…Yeah?”
“Sometimes the healed scars risen up like pale bumps, like the one on my left shoulder, sometimes it stains brownish red. Or like your dad’s prosthetic, even though we lost our arm a long time ago, it still hurts sometimes. When bad things happen, even though we don’t have scars, it hurts our mind very badly, and the scars will look different as well. I have nightmares, and Kawaki is secretive. When our mind is hurt badly, it caused them to behave a certain way, it’s called a trauma.”
Boruto grimace, deep in thought as his scrunched-up eyebrows, “But it’s infuriating! He kept thinking that you and uncle Neji will do bad things to him! Both me and Himawari kept telling him it won’t happen but he wont listen!”
“It’s part of a process to heal a trauma, Boruto. It takes a long time to move on from something that bad, and it will take a long time for Kawaki to trust a stranger. He’s only been here for a couple of months, he needs more time to believe it.”
“So, what do I have to do?”
“Be patient.”
“How? People kept saying I don’t have that.”
Sasuke sighs, “Please try to keep it in mind, at least.”
Boruto pouts and huffs, “Fine.”
Sasuke goes back to the room with Boruto in tow, getting Kawaki with him and leaving Boruto with a still pouting Himawari.
Kawaki tries to mask it, but Sasuke knows he’s afraid behind that stoic face. Kawaki has the same face when the councils keep saying to ‘eliminate’ him.
“So, tell me what happen.”
“I thought Boruto already told you.”
“Yes, but I want to hear from your side.”
Kawaki grimace, but he starts talking. Boruto kept asking where he’s from, who his previous parents are, and Kawaki tried to answer without spilling the truth too much. They were playing heroes and Kawaki acted as the villain while Himawari is the damsel in distress, and Boruto is ‘obviously’ the hero, Kawaki said with a roll of his eyes. Kawaki doesn’t like Boruto much because Boruto kept pushing him. Boruto makes Kawaki angry, but the fear of Boruto’s father held him back from acting on it.
“You’re afraid of the Hokage?” Sasuke asks.
Kawaki scoffs, “Duh.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? He wants me dead! If not, then enslaved! Again!”
“No, the Konoha’s leaderships wants you dead or enslaved, but not all of them. The Hokage is a close friend of mine, if it wasn’t for his vote, you wouldn’t be here with us.”
Kawaki frowns deeply, saying nothing, and Sasuke has an inkling that Kawaki does not believe him. Sasuke sighs, clueless in what to do. He returns inside the house, and as he was about to warn them to behave, a loud ‘Ahem’ stops him.
Himawari stood, “I think it’s my turn now!”
She walks past him, leaving all the boys dumbfounded. Sasuke sighs, might as well hear her out. He gave a final warning to the boys, “Behave. If you have nothing good to say then say nothing, or be in a different room.”
He follows Himawari to the same spot outside, and Sasuke didn’t even get to ask her.
“Boruto-niisan is jealous!” Himawari exclaims, “He’s jealous of Kawaki!”
Sasuke blinks, stunned for two seconds before asking, “Why is that?”
“Because he can’t come over because Kawaki is here! I mean… we know we have to understand… but we miss you,” Himawari says dejectedly.
Sasuke is a little touched, he knows that both Neji and him are the ‘fun uncles’, but he never thought the kids cherish them this much that they miss them. Sasuke is once again humbled, suddenly missing Neji.
“I miss you too, thank you for being understanding.” When Himawari hugs his abdomen, his heart squeezes and he pats her back. “Look at the bright side, Kawaki said that he doesn’t mind kids his age to come over, why don’t you ask him if it’s okay for you to visit more?”
Himawari gasps, looking up at Sasuke with big bright blue eyes, “Really???”
“Yes, go and ask him.”
Himawari runs inside. Sasuke hears a babble that soon followed with a loud “YAY! Thank you Kawaki!” and an ‘oof’ that must’ve come from the boy from being hugged. Himawari hugs like a tight coil, Sasuke feels for Kawaki.
Neji came home by sunset, missing their niece and nephew by half an hour.
“How’s meeting Boruto and Himawari?”
Kawaki shrugs at Neji’s question, “It’s nothing special.”
Sasuke nudges his shoulder lightly with his elbow. To their surprise, Kawaki doesn’t tensed like he usually does when touched by an adult, he only grumbles, “Had a fight with Boruto.”
Neji and Sasuke notice the progress, looking at each other with glee that the keep to themselves, for now.
“What do you fight about?”
Kawaki grumbles and starts to retell the story while Neji listens as they sit on the dining table and Sasuke cooks. Kawaki that started as a quiet rumbling then build up into a frustrated shouting.
“He kept asking me about where I’m from! It’s not my fault he doesn’t know how maps work!! At one point I told him to ask his fff-hecking dad but I’m not sure I want to do that when I know the Hokage wants me dead! I don’t- I don’t want my friends to want me dead too!” Kawaki inhales, breathing labouredly and only noticing then that he does.
There’s a lot to unpack there, but Neji chooses, “Friends, huh?”
Kawaki gasps, face red and flustered, “N-no! They’re not my friends!”
“I don’t know how is it in your place, but in here, it’s good to have friends.”
Kawaki scowls at first but then he blinks, “Wait, are you f*cking around?”
Neji gives him a tired look at the curse and decide to tests his boundaries. “I’m going to flick you for cursing.” Neji flicks Kawaki on the back of the hand, “Next will be on your big forhead.”
Kawaki only quirks up an eyebrow, “This doesn’t hurt at all!” he says to Sasuke’s back. “And my forehead isn’t big!”
Neji and Sasuke both chuckles at that, stunning Kawaki into a frozen ice block.
“Boruto shouldn’t have said all that. Both of you are kids, but you’ll learn in time,” Sasuke shrugs.
“… Learn what?” Kawaki asks in a huffy fit.
“Boruto to learn to be patient, and you to learn to be stronger.”
Kawaki mulls over it, “Can I truly be stronger without my Karma seal?”
Neji smiles, “I didn’t mean your power that you’ll learn to be stronger, but your mind and your heart.”
“That’s not being strong. Strong is power.”
“Not always, you’ll learn that one day, too.”
“Now, tell me what fully happened,” Neji asks once they’re both in bed. Neji’s head to Sasuke’s chest, his hand rubbing languidly at Sasuke’s flanks.
Sasuke sighs and starts retelling the day. How Sasuke tells Boruto and Himawari that they can drop by as long as they didn’t hinder Kawaki’s learning. Kawaki had learned better and seems less tense when there are other kids around and not alone with adults. Kawaki was doing some reading while Sasuke trained Boruto who at first had pointedly ignored Kawaki.
“Should’ve known the storm was brewing then,” Sasuke reminisced.
Then break time, Himawari asked Kawaki to play with her and Boruto refuse to be left behind. Sasuke was cooking lunch when the screaming starts.
“I’m not surprised that Himawari is the most perceptive out of all of you,” Neji chuckles after the story ended. “You did a good job at explaining Boruto what trauma is though,” Neji pats Sasuke’s chest, “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“You don’t think it’s too early?”
“I don’t think so. He knows about your nightmares, and the way you explain it is appropriate enough.”
“Oh… good then,” Sasuke sighs, needing that reassurance from Neji.
Neji smiles and kisses Sasuke on the cheek, “A reward, for doing such good job.”
Sasuke chuckles, tucking his face on top of Neji’s head to hide the slight flush he feels on his face, “Thank you.”
++++
Despite the fight, Himawari is so sweet that Kawaki keeps hanging out with Boruto, who came as a package. It’s a little amusing for the adults to see when a few years ago it was Himawari that kept tailing after her brother.
Today, the kids hang out at Sakura’s place, it’s the first time Kawaki hangs out with all the kids outside of their house without Sasuke nor Neji’s supervision. The Anbus are still following him and will alert them when things go south.
The Anbus don’t alert them, but something seems to go south anyway when Kawaki runs into his room like a bat out of hell then slamming the door behind him. Jike instantly trots over Kawaki’s front door and pawing it, whining to get in. The door parts open slightly to let her in and promptly closed again.
Sakura had been on the doorframe that had stayed open. She stood with a guilty expression on her face.
“What happened?” Sasuke asks.
“I’m sorry Sasuke-kun, Neji-kun,” Sakura bows deeply, expression disraught. “When I brought the kids out for ice cream, I realized too late that Kawaki was left behind. I found him being surrounded by the villagers, he was not harmed physically, but it seems that he was interrogated.”
“Interrogated.” Neji’s voice is even, perfectly hiding the fury under. Sasuke doesn’t hide as such, if looks could kill.
“I’m not quite sure either, it’s about you two, I think. I pull him out of there as quick as I can.” Sakura bows again, “I’m so sorry! I should’ve been more vigilant in looking after him.”
“I’m sure you did the best you could,” Neji says, “Do you recognize the people there?”
Sakura seems more alert then, “Ah, I think so, but someone can help better. Ino, she saw me shooing them away and helped me.”
“Your combined scream must’ve traumated them to shoo them away,” Neji says.
“But not enough,” Sasuke adds.
“That’s right, something needs to be done.”
Because it’s one thing to oscatrize two adults, and it’s another to gang up on a child.
But first, Kawaki.
They knock on Kawaki’s door. Neji has cookies and warm milk on his tray
“Kawaki?” Sasuke asks, “Are you awake?” there’s no words coming from the inside, only silent sniffs and Jike whining softly.
The couple share a look, and Neji nods to the door.
“We’re coming in, okay?” Sasuke asks, and when they hear no reply, he opens the door.
They don’t know what to expect, but certainly not the lack of Kawaki in sight. If it not for Jike whos lying on the floor with half her body under the bed, they wouldn’t know instantly that Kawaki is there, hiding with a blanket.
“Kawaki?” Neji calls, but he only hears sniffs, a sign that the boy is awake.
Neji sits on the floor, putting the tray there with him. Sasuke is standing a bit further away to not crowd Kawaki, a step from the doorframe.
“We’ve heard what happened from Sakura, but we’d like to hear from you.”
It takes a while, but from under the bed, a voice croaks, “…why?”
“Because we want to know what makes you upset. Talking about something that makes you upset can sometimes help you feel better.”
Then to their woe, Kawaki sounds to be crying harder, sobbing instead of sniffing. Jike’s tail thuds languidly while she whines. “It won’t…” Kawaki hiccups. “Nothing can change this.”
“Change what?” Sasuke asks softly, the softest he ever sound.
“Everyone hates me. Ever since I was born… no one ever even liked me,” Kawaki sobbed, broken and heart-breaking. The first time the boy sounded vulnerable at all.
Suddenly there’s no air, Neji’s chest caved in hearing the sad confession of the twelve-year-old boy. “What makes you say that?” Neji braved, but he hadn’t prepared for Kawaki’s answer, spoken in woe.
“My mother left when I was little. My dad only kept me so I could work and buy him alcohol, he always said he regrets f*cking my mom because she burdened him with me. The nice vendor had wanted to sell me. Jigen only sees me as a vessel. This village leaders wants to do the same or kill me. And now… the villagers hate me too.” Kawaki sobs harder and the next words spoken softly, “they keep asking me which orphanage I’m from, and they want to take me back. I didn’t want to, and they started saying that I’m already corrupted and they were trying to put me back to the orphanage where I belong and I-I’m… I don’t understand. Were you lying to me? Does the whole village actually know who I am?” Kawaki’s voice starts to shake, “Why does everybody hates me? What’s wrong with me? What did I do wrong? I never asked to be born, so why does everybody blame me for it? It wasn’t up to me! If it was up to me then I-I’ll…” a loud thunk cuts the sentence, akin of teeth clashing shut.
Hearing the boy that had tried so hard not to crack, that are always quiet and keep to himself finally breaks makes Neji hurt a thousand times more than the seal had ever been. His fists tightens, and when he look to his husband, Sasuke’s anger is prominent for the world to see. In a way, it’s a good thing that Kawaki can’t see their expression right now.
It takes a few seconds for the couple to calm down for Neji to say, “There’s nothing wrong with you. Some people are horrible, and you’ve been unlucky to come upon them early.”
“But the seal-”
“Doesn’t determined who you are,” Sasuke adds, his voice impressively calm. “It was forced on you, it doesn’t change who you are.”
“But then why do people hate me?”
“Because they’re ignorant, they judge without even trying to get to know you. None of this is your fault.”
There’s silence filled with sniffs and hiccuped breathing.
“Metal and Sarada doesn’t hate you, do they?” Neji tries to console. “Shin, Mayumi and Junpei likes you too. Himawari loves you. And despite his behavior, Boruto doesn’t hate you too.”
“What about you two?” Kawaki’s voice stills and stiff. “Why didn’t you hate me?”
Neji and Sasuke share a look. Sasuke’s face is crestfallen, an expression that Neji knows how it looks when he’s holding back sadness. “There’s nothing to hate about you, Kawaki. If anything, we admire you. You’re a just kid that keeps going strong to survive the worst thing that could’ve killed you. You ran away from your abuser where you could’ve been manipulated into staying loyal as his weapon.” Sasuke takes in a deep breath, “You’re here, and despite your distrust of adults, you gave Neji and I a chance to take care of you, to teach you, to feed you. Despite the adults that failed you, you gave a chance to trust us back. One day you’ll know how strong you are to do that, because at your age, I couldn’t.”
Neji swallowed thickly and breathes out. He wants nothing more to go over where Sasuke is and soothes him, but Kawaki needs him now.
“You’re not corrupted,” Neji starts, his voice came out soft. “You don’t have to tell us what the villagers say to you, but just know that they have no right to tell you what you’re worth. You deserve to be loved and protected. Nothing they say can ever change that. We…We’re happy that you’re alive, here, with us.”
Kawaki says nothing more, only stuttered breath and wet sniffs accompanied with Jike’s whining and wet noises from her tongue licking his face.
Neji sighs and Sasuke nods at him.
“I’ll leave the cookies and milk here for you. Feel free to get more from the kitchen. We need to leave, but Lee is here if you need anything.”
“Wait! Where are you going?” the desperate tone makes the couple hesitates.
Sasuke soothes, “We won’t be long, we’d be back by night. We need to find out the people that talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Because a bunch of adults that pull a kid aside and corner them isn’t right. When something is wrong, something needs to be done about it.”
“No it doesn’t, it doesn’t always happen,” Kawaki says dejectedly.
“No…” Neji sighs, “It doesn’t always happen, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t need to be done in the first place.”
Kawaki says nothing else.
“Do you want one of us to stay with you?” Sasuke asks.
“…No. Lee-sensei is in the house, right?”
“Yes, he’s right outside. Lee?” Neji calls.
“AH YES! My time with dear Kawaki has finally come!!” Lee runs into the room as if he teleported there.
It’s soft, but the can hear an amused chuckle from Kawaki.
“We’ll leave you both, if there’s anything you both need, you know how to find us.” Neji says, parting with both of them. Until they left the house, Kawaki is still under the bed.
Outside the house, Ino and Sakura had waited for them. The combination of menacing threat coming out from the four of them looms over the village as if there’d be another war coming down upon them.
“I’ve heard you have a list,” Sasuke says to Ino who smirks.
She pulls a long paper filled with people’s name and their adress and where they work. Neji had never seen gossip as a weapon, but Ino just made it as one. When she said she knows everyone in the village, Neji had severely underrestimated Ino’s ability to be nosy.
“Let’s devide it by four,” Sakura suggests, but Sasuke shakes his head.
“I appreciate both of your help, but Neji and I needs to do this ourselves. This village thinks that they can treat us how ever they want because we never retaliated. This time they need to be warned that not all of their behavior is tolerated.”
Neji knocks on the door of a family. After a while, a middle-aged lady opens it, frowning upon seeing Neji by her door as if he’s dirt on her shoe.
“My home is not for the likes of you,” She spat and move to close the door, but Neji’s hand quickly held the door before it close, barely using his strenght.
As if cold water washes over her, she ashens. Her angry eyes become fear once she realizes she can’t close the door.
Neji smiles politely yet menacingly, “I’ve heard you have some things to say to my foster child that the Hokage himself ordered us to take care of. Why don’t I come in and you and your husband can tell me all about what’s wrong with Kawaki and his foster parents to me, and I’d make sure it goes straight to the Hokage, hm?”
When her ego finally tramples over her fear, she snaps and grits her teeth. “Shut up! It’s none of anyone’s business what I say!”
“But cornering a child is. You see, I think you’d understand as a mother yourself, that you won’t let such thing happen to Yuuhei,” the woman seems disraught when Neji says her son’s name. “As I believe you won’t as well, as his father,” Neji says to one of the walls where her husband hides behind.
“I understand that you dislike us, but it’d like to request the decency that I believe you have to not bully a child that barely has anything to do with your anger. Not all bullied children becomes the Hokage like our Nanadaime, and unlike our Nanadaime, my foster child has a guardian that protects them from harm, as forster parents does.” Neji reminds, still a smile on his face. “Are we in understanding? If not, I’m sure we can talk about how we can understand each other.”
Her shaky eyes looks at Neji in fear and she tries to pull the door again, but it didn’t budge. Instead, Neji grips tighter, the wooden door creaks. Neji smiles innocently, “Please, I am above violence, we’ll only be talking.”
“Yes! Yes, we’d understand just leave us alone!” Screams the father from the inside.
“How could you leave me out here!” Says the woman, “Come out you coward!”
“Ah, seems like all I need is an understanding from you,” Neji says calmly chilling, he pulls the door and the woman almost stumble forward from the force, but Neji doesn’t pull too hard so she can let go and steps back inside her house.
“Fine! Fine you and your filthy husband and son can go away for all I care!”
“Filthy?” Neji says, and the woman seems scared out of his wits. “I held no right over your opinions, if you say them to my foster child, then know that by then I do have a right to protect my foster as I. deem. necessary. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She says nothing else, only nods.
“Good. For your sake, may we never meet again.”
Things goes a little differently on Sasuke’s end though.
“So, you decided that you puny-dicked self needs an ego boost and bully a literal child? How manly. I wonder what your wife would think about your mistress that’s half your age across town from here where she lived in a house that you bought with your daughter’s school money.”
Sasuke goes right to the throat, and the bald-headed man almost combust like a bomb if not for the said wife almost on ear shot as she’s buying groceries.
“What do you want!” The man hisses.
“To keep your trash mouth to yourself, egg-head. Stay away from my foster child or I’ll ruin your marriage, your family, your job and your future.”
“Are you threatening me? You’re a war criminal! If you do anything to me then you’ll go straight to jail.”
“Exactly, I have nothing to lose.” The man’s confidence shatter like glass, “And that wasn’t a threat, that’s a promise.”
Sasuke feels better, breathing a little easier after that, walking away from the wrecked adults he threatens. Never thought he’d be thankful for Ino.
“Why do I get reports that both you and Neji are threatening the villagers?” Clone Naruto emerges infront of him, folding his arms and a tired expression on his face.
Sasuke explains what the adults did to Kawaki, and how the child in question is under the bed crying. Naruto’s exhasperated expression morhps into anger then it’s gone with another sigh. They’re in a quiet street, and Naruto leans his back to the wall, seems to be deep in thought.
“Sasuke, do you think I’m a good Hokage?”
“You’re not doing a banged-up job if that’s what you’re asking.”
Naruto gives him a look and Sasuke smiles mischiviously.
“Never thought you’d need your ego to be stroked, what do you really want to talk about?”
Naruto shrugs, “I thought I’m an example enough to not bully a mourning lonely orphan… I thought putting Kawaki here with the village that had grown better will be good for him.”
“That’s a little naïve of you.”
Naruto chuckles mirthlessly, “I know…”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” Sasuke moves to lean on the wall next to Naruto.
There is a point where it would hurt whenever he sees Naruto, being reminded of his unrequieted love and the spiraling down self-worth. Sasuke had never thought their relationship can pull through all of the angst, love and the shattering friendship all together. More than anything, Sasuke doesn’t expect to be closer with Naruto when he falls out of love with him. Only then that Sasuke takes notice what a good friend Naruto is. He trusts him, he got his back, he believes to best of him.
Naruto is always the sunshine extrovert, and when he’s down like this, Sasuke is the only one that knows how to bring him back up.
“You just need to get your sh*t together and make your naivety realistic.”
Naruto gave Sasuke a look, “Wow, thanks.”
“I mean it, dobe,” Sasuke huffs. “The world can’t be a better place without naïve minds daring to think of an idea or a vision. You take that idea from your naivety and let your rational side execute it. You’re not that idiot kid anymore. You’re the Hokage, your naïve ideas can actually become reality, if you’re smart about it. I think you’re smart enough now.”
“Huh…” Naruto chuckles, “Not bad, for a pessimist. Where do you get all this wisdom from?”
Sasuke almost says Neji. Everything good about him, when he tracks back, are all coming from Neji or influenced Neji in some ways. He looks at Naruto now and grateful that they never happened. For once in Sasuke’s life, he feels grateful that he left Konoha. If it leads to where he is now with Neji, he’d do it all over again.
“I’m a genius since birth, I’m always like this,” Sasuke says instead.
Naruto only shakes his head and look up to the sky, “Do you think the village will ever get better?”
Sasuke sighs, and put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, “It already has.”
“But Kawaki…”
“Kawaki has a Hokage that fights tooth and nail to protect him from a death verdict. Kawaki has two foster dads that accepts him for who he is and protects him. Kawaki has a group of friends that treat him like his age. None of that would’ve happened if he came here twenty years ago.”
Naruto looks at him with that toothy fangy smile iconic to him, his shoulder bump against Sasuke’s, “Fatherhood looks good on you, Sasuke.”
Sasuke wants to correct him, but he thinks of Kawaki, how he’d do anything to protect him, how rewarding it feels to see him smile for the first time, talk back for the first time, and when Neji flicks him playfully and Kawaki doesn’t retract violently.
“Thanks.”
Sasuke arrives home as quietly as a feather when he sees Lee and Kawaki meditating in the flower garden. Sasuke goes around and finds Neji with Jike, clipping dead leaves off his green bean leaves. Neji looks up and smiles, sitting down on the grass, and pats the space beside him. Like ice to hot pan, Sasuke sticks to Neji and melts in his lap.
Neji takes off his gloves, combs Sasuke’s bangs away, and kisses his temple. As he’s down there, Neji whispers, “How’s your end?”
“They’re pissing their pants.”
Neji held back a laugh and flicked Sasuke’s temple. Sasuke mouths an ‘ow.’
Then Sasuke looks at him, really looks at Neji. The sun shining behind him as if it’s shining then and there to be his halo. His deep brown hair shines in the light, and his long bangs frame his already beautiful face into an ethereal picture. His eyes, pale lavender, had sent Sasuke into a whiplash in how soft and gentle they could look and how strikingly intense in some moments. Right now, those eyes look at him so lovingly it hurts. Sasuke takes Neji’s hand and puts it above his thundering heart.
It's been 9 years since they were married, and still, there are moments like these that struck Sasuke dumbfounded with how his heart still flips at the sight of his husband.
Sasuke closes his eyes to Neji’s hand above his heart, and his other on Sasuke’s temple, caressing his hair. He can sleep like this.
He can spend eternity like this.
