Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

A Baby Story	By : chilepie Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1545 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, it's Kishimoto-sensi's. I'm not making money off of it nor do I want to.

Chapter List
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�I am going to punt that little shit over the fence!�

�Sasuke!� Naruto yelped, horrified.

Sasuke growled darkly and strode stiffly from the bathroom
leaving wet footprints in his wake. Naruto heard him stomping down the stairs
before the front door slammed, telling him Sasuke had left the house completely;
leaving Naruto gaping after him with a faintly hurt expression. Behind him
Annette�s screams grew shriller and he turned to her again.

�Aww come on Annie! It�s not so
bad�.just close your eyes�.� he soothed as he tried, once again, to rinse the tear-free
shampoo from her brown curls with a large, plastic cup.

Annette screamed and thrashed, sending water flying over the
lip of the tub and knocking her brother backwards in the soapy bathwater.
Naruto, dripping wet, franticly grabbed Minato before he could hit his head on
the side of the tub. He nearly had a heart attack when the little boy slipped
out of his hold but breathed a sigh when he caught him again.

�I don� like dat!� Annette yelled
and slapped Naruto hard in the face just like she�d done to Sasuke a little
while ago. �Ahhhhhhh!� she screeched incoherently and
covered her face with her hands.

Naruto rolled his eyes and fought for patience. Instead of
trying to talk over her screaming, he rinsed Minato off and took him out of the
tub; wrapping him in a green, frog printed towel that was three times too big
for him. Finally he turned back to Annette since her screaming had calmed down.

�We do not hit, Annie,� he said firmly to her. �Do you
understand me?�

The little girl picked up a bath toy that looked like a
smiling crab and began playing with it. She swiped some soap off her face and
dunked the toy in the water to fill it before squirting all the water out on
the tile floor.

�Annette! Did you hear me?�

�Look Daddy!�� Annette
said brightly holding up the crab toy and squirting water out of it in a long
arc. She giggled. �Dat makes me laugh!�

Naruto sighed. Minato wiggled in his arms and he set him
down; quickly drying him off so he could put his diaper on. After doing so he
steeled himself and turned back to the tub.

�Ok Annie, it�s time to get out.�

--*--

Sasuke walked back in the house, the porch light washing him
in a pale yellow light and outlining him against the black night behind him as
he came in the doorway. He stopped short as he caught sight of Naruto waiting
for him on the couch.

�We need to talk,� Naruto said. The words were thrown out
like a challenge.

�Yeah, we do,� Sasuke admitted. He raked a hand through his
black hair in agitation then went over to the couch and sat down.

They looked at each other; each noting with concern they
didn�t show the other�s signs of stress and exhaustion. Both sported dark rings
under their eyes and the slumped shouldered look of one not getting enough
sleep.

�They�re asleep,� Naruto said softly. His blue eyes were
shadowed in the low light of the single lit lamp on the end table.

�Good.� Sasuke�s eye�s flitted around the living room,
darting glances at the various toys and tiny clothing littering it, and tried
to think of something to say. �Look Naruto�I�m sorry. It�s just�.� he started
haltingly.

�I know, I know. It�s harder then I thought isn�t it?�
Naruto said with a sigh.

�Yeah.� Sasuke�s tone was dry and
it made Naruto look at him sharply.

�You�re going to say �I told you so� aren�t you?� Naruto�s
voice held a thread of anger in it.

�Why shouldn�t I?� Sasuke shot back.

�Damn it Sasuke, we couldn�t just leave her there! She�s his
sister! We�ve been through this. They�re siblings and they should be raised
together,� Naruto whispered harshly, vehemently.

Sasuke glared at him. �Naruto there is something wrong with
that girl. We need to get her some therap��

�No!� Naruto yelled suddenly, cutting him off.

�Naruto��

�No,� he whispered fervently; lowering his voice again so he
wouldn�t wake the kids.
I�m not going to let her be brainwashed by some fucking
shrink.�

�We can take her to Neji.� Sasuke pulled a hand through his
hair and gripped it at the back of his skull. �We can�t keep doing this. I�ve
tried everything and she�s still�.�

�A pain in the ass, I know. Look, Neji�s all the way in Japan
and Annie�s already not good with changes. I�d like him to take a look at her
too but we can�t go to him and he can�t fly all the way here just to help us.�

�It�s not just that�s she�s a pain. I really think
something�s wrong with her.� Sasuke made a frustrated sound. �It�s been two
months and she�s the same as the day we brought her here. She has no tolerance
for pain, her verbal skills are ludicrous, she treats Minato as if he doesn�t
exist unless he takes something of hers, screams her head off if she doesn�t
get her way, she�s still in diapers, she doesn�t answer the simplest of
questions, can�t recall what you just told her�..Naruto, the list goes on. We
need help.� He looked at Naruto in exasperation.

Naruto looked back at him. Suddenly his face crumpled.
�Sasuke I just can�t�.she�s just�.still adjusting. It�ll get better.� He cut
off with a hiccupping sob. �I don�t want her to be labeled. I don�t want to
take her to someone and have them give her a bunch of
pills and then she�s walking around here like a zombie and��

�Shhhh, calm down,� Sasuke
whispered, taking Naruto in his arms and holding him close. He rubbed small
circles on the small of Naruto�s back and flinched when he felt wetness on his
shoulder, soaking into his ivory shirt.

Sasuke was at a loss. He was out of his element and hated
every moment of it. How was it that someone like him, who commanded respect and
obedience from everyone else, couldn�t get it from a three and a half year old
child?

Naruto�s breathing evened out and Sasuke sighed in relief.
He stood carefully so as not to wake him and laid him back down on the couch;
covering him with one of Minato�s blankets. Then he walked stealthily to the
front door and snuck out to the porch. Sitting on the porch swing, he took out
his phone and called Itachi�s number.

After two rings Itachi picked up with a, �Hello little
brother. I thought you�d forgotten me.�

Sasuke sighed into the phone, nostalgic for a minute at the
sound of his brother�s deep voice speaking in his native tongue of Japanese.
�Big brother,� he said, also in Japanese.

�Long day?� Itachi asked.

�Yeah.�

Itachi made a �hn�
sound and Sasuke chuckled. He stopped, surprised at himself. When was the last
time he�d laughed? He couldn�t remember; it sobered him.

�I�ll be coming in tomorrow afternoon at four twenty your time. I look forward to
seeing you and Naruto�s new home. I hope your new family is working out for
you.�

Sasuke was quiet for a second too long before he said,
�Yes.� He shifted on the swing so that his legs stretched out beside him. �I�ll
be there to pick you up from the airport. You�ll stay in the room above the
garage. It�s like an apartment so you should be comfortable.�

There was a small silence and then Itachi spoke.

�Sasuke.�

�Hmm?� Sasuke�s stomach grew
butterflies.

�Sasuke.� Just his name again, the
tone not changing in the least, but Sasuke knew what his brother wanted.

�I�m fine, Itachi.� He tried his best to sound sincere.

�Of course. I�ll see you tomorrow,
little brother.�

Itachi hung up and Sasuke looked at his cell phone for a
moment before putting it back in his pocket. Great.
Itachi had seen past his attempts to hide his frustrations and now he was
coming to stay with him for three weeks. Sighing, Sasuke rocked a bit on the
swing, relaxing by closing his eyes and listening to the quiet of the night
time street. Finally he felt calmed enough to return inside. He decided to leave
Naruto on the couch and walked quietly to their room to change before
collapsing on the bed.

--*--

5:00 AM

�Wahhhhhhhhh!�

Naruto jolted awake, falling off the couch and banging his
head on the coffee table.

�Oww fuck,� he mumbled grumpily.

�Dadadaaa!�
Minato yelled from inside his nursery.

�Uggg,� Naruto groaned as he
levered himself up from the floor.

He met Sasuke on the way to get Minato and together they
walked into the room that held the crib the little boy was currently standing
up in; crying and holding out his arms to his fathers to be picked up. Naruto
picked him up (Minato stopped crying instantly) and bounced him absently on his
hip.

�Sorry,� Sasuke whispered. �I was going to get him so you
could sleep.�

��s�ok.�
Naruto yawned hugely.

�Come on. We�ll take him in our room and see if he�ll lay
down with us until a decent hour.�

5:30 AM

Minato crawled over Sasuke�s face and sat on Naruto�s chest,
gazing down at him until he opened sleep filled, blue eyes.

�Dada?�

�This isn�t working,� Sasuke mumbled.

6:10 AM

A piercing scream echoed around the house, jolting Sasuke
and Naruto out of the doze they�d fallen into. Minato was no where to be found.

�Daddy! Papa, Daddy! Baby bra�yer, daddy!� Annette
screamed from her room upstairs. Her high voice carried easily down the stairs,
across the kitchen and living room and into their bedroom.

Naruto sighed. Sasuke hissed.

�She�s just adjusting,� Naruto said weakly.

Sasuke lifted his head out of his pillow to glare at him.

7:20 AM

Sasuke walked out of his bedroom, fixing his tie as he
walked into the living room. Naruto was sprawled on the couch with Annette
sitting near his feet on the far end of it. She was staring at the TV watching
Dora the Explorer with rapt attention. Minato ran up to him and wrapped his
arms around one of Sasuke�s legs, whining to be picked up.

�I�m going to eat out with Itachi tonight so don�t worry
about us for dinner. Just feed the kids and yourself.� Sasuke bent down and
picked the little boy up.

�Ok. I�ve got a meeting this morning so I�m going to have to
go in at ten. They just need to know if I�m planning on doing any lectures this
year. I�m not sure what to�.�

�I�m th�tersy,� Annette piped up
loudly.

�Annette. Stop interrupting when others are talking,� Sasuke
barked out, putting Minato down so the little boy would stop squirming.

Annette�s unusually large, light brown eyes grew even larger
and she screeched incoherently. Sasuke threw his hands up.

�You deal with it. I�ve got to go,� he snapped out at Naruto
and turned on his heel.

�Why the fuck can�t you deal with it! You�re the one who
made her start crying!� Naruto yelled at him.

�Because you know how I�d deal with it.�

�You don�t have to hit her to discipline her, Sasuke!�

�That kid needs a good ass whipping!� Sasuke growled over
his shoulder and kept walking to the kitchen.

�Sasuke! I�m talking to yo�..Annie stop that!� Naruto yelped.

He reached over and grabbed her hands so she wouldn�t hit
Minato with the remote again.

�Baby bra�yer taked
my blanket! Ahhhhhhhhh!� she screamed.

Naruto barely glanced up as the door to the garage slammed
close.

8:00 AM

�Ok, here�s yours Annie.� Naruto
placed a bowl of fruit loops in front of her and turned to place Minato�s in
front of him.

�I wan� the g�een one!� she
proclaimed, reaching out and grabbing the bowl from Naruto�s hand, making it
topple and spill all over her.

Naruto braced himself.

�AHHHHHHH!� Annette kicked the
bottom of the table repeatedly and stared down at herself with a horrified
expression on her red face.

�Wahhh!�
Minato cried, startled into fear by the extent of his sister�s distress.

Naruto looked helplessly at them for a second before
snatching a towel to wipe up the spill and dry his daughter off.

8:45 AM

�Annie, calm down,� Naruto pleaded. He pulled a clean, pink
shirt over her head and handed her a pair of blue jeans with pink and purple
hearts embroidered down one side.

Annette sniffled pathetically and sat in the middle of the
floor, scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Naruto sighed and turned
to Minato to change his diaper so he could dress him.

�I don� do it, daddy. I don� do it,� Annette said. She held
the pants loosely in her hands and looked around the room absently. �Daddy,
daddy I don� do it. I don� do it.� She picked up a
block from the floor and started playing with it. �I don� do it, daddy. Daddy,
daddy, I don� do it.�

Naruto pulled his son�s dirty diaper off and wiped him
before quickly changing him to a clean one. �Just try,� he said for what seemed
like the hundredth time this month. Minato handed his father a navy blue shirt
and lifted his arms.

�I don� do it.�

Naruto sighed again.

9: 15 AM

Naruto walked out the front door and watched as his two
children ran to the house next door. He chuckled as Minato tripped, sprawled in
the grass and popped right back up to run again only to turn around and grimace
as Annette�s sleeve brushed against the side of their neighbor�s white mini
van. She fell dramatically to the ground and screeched at the top of her lungs.
He walked over to her and picked her up, trying to comfort her as she wailed in
his ear. Minato crawled up the front step and knocked once on the door. He
stepped back and stared at it expectantly.

They didn�t have long to wait, within seconds an older lady
answered the door. She smiled widely at the little boy on her doorstep, her
watery brown eyes lighting up, and bent to pick him up.

�Hello Minato!� she said happily and laughed. �Where�s your
daddy?� She glanced around the small porch theatrically.

Minato babbled seriously before the word, �D�ere,� popped out and he pointed to Naruto who was
carrying a sniffling Annette in his arms.

�Oh my,� the lady said weakly. �What happened?�

Naruto face was tense behind his smile as he said, �She
tripped but she�ll be fine. Right Annie?�

Annette wailed, her face red, and shook her head making her
long brown curls dance franticly.

Naruto gave the now frowning lady an apologetic look and put
Annette on her feet before him. He knelt down to her level and placed his hands
on her shoulders. �Annie, this is Mrs. Johnson. She�s going to take care of you
and baby brother until��

�NO! No, daddy! No, no, no!� Annette screamed and latched
onto his neck refusing to let go. She cried into his shoulder and wrapped her
legs around his waist when he tried to hug her to comfort her. �I love you,
daddy! I love you! No, no! I wan� to go wit� you, daddy!� she pleaded.

�Annie�please�I really have to go to work. Remember? I told
you this morning that I was going to work for a little while,� Naruto said in a
failed attempt to sound firm. He felt more and more horrible as she just
continued to cry; becoming more hysterical every second. �Please, Annie? I�ll
be right back�.I promise.�

�It�ll be ok, dear,� Mrs. Johnson said consolingly. �You�ll
have lots of fun here! My grand-daughter is coming over in a little while and
she�s just your age.�

Unfortunately, nothing the two of them said made any
impression on Annette. She kept screaming, crying and clinging to Naruto until
he sighed and picked her up completely in his arms.

Mrs. Johnson held her arms out to take the child but Naruto
shook his head. �It�s alright. I�ll just take her with me,� he told her
tiredly.

�Are you sure?� Mrs. Johnson said dubiously.

�Yeah. I�ll be back in two hours. I
just have to update everyone at work on my schedule for the rest of the year.�

�I going wit� you, daddy?� Annette
said in a small voice, raising her tear streaked face to his.

Naruto nodded with an almost fearful look on his face;
unsure if this would set her off again.

Suddenly, Annette smiled and laughed. �Dat
makes me laugh!� she cried happily.

Both adults gave her an incredulous look. Naruto�s brow
furrowed. �Maybe�.Sasuke�s right,� he thought.

10:10 AM

�Ok Annie, you�ve got your crayons, coloring book and
Barbie�s to play with while I�m in there,� Naruto said and pointed to the
meeting room right next to the chair Annette was sitting in. �I want you to
play quietly and I�ll be back before you know it. If you can be a good girl
I�ll take you to McDonald�s for lunch. Ok?� His voice held a note of pleading
that had become common when he was talking to the little girl.

�Yeah,� Annette intoned, not even looking up from the doll
in her hands. �I�m super hun�gy, daddy. I wan� some
jelly sand�itch.�

�There�s some snacks in your bag remember? We packed them
together.�

�Yeah.� She still hadn�t moved to
look up at him or even to look at her little pink Dora backpack next to the
chair.

Naruto suppressed the urge to grab her and make her look at
him. He stood and went into the meeting room where the rest of his coworkers
were waiting. His boss, Ms. Lauren, looked up from a sheaf of papers and smiled
at him warmly.

�She�s just adorable, Naruto. All those
beautiful curls and those big eyes.�

�Thank you.� Naruto grinned. It was one of his warm smiles
that he gave freely to everyone. The one that made everyone who saw it warm
inside.

To bad it was fake.

10:45 AM

Small titters of laughter filtered slowly through the board
room.

�Aww isn�t she adorable?�

�Look at those eyes�.�

�I�ve never seen that color before�.�

�Daddy?�

Naruto felt like smacking his head on the large table in
front of him. He looked past his co-workers and boss to see his daughter
sticking her head in the door and staring wide eyed at all the people before
catching sight of him.

The speaker stopped speaking and gave him a disapproving
look and his boss smiled patiently and nodded to him that he could go out and
see to Annette.

�Daddy! Daddy! I need you, my
daddy!� Annette chanted from the doorway.

�Excuse me,� Naruto said humbly. �I�m really sorry.� He
pushed away from the table and walked quickly out into the hallway. He closed
the door quietly behind him and knelt down to his daughter�s height. �What is
it, Annie?� he asked calmly.

�Look I drawed��
The rest of the sentence was a garbled, half mumbled mess of syllables that
Naruto didn�t understand. He was pretty sure it had something to do with the
paper full of pink and blue scribbles she was shoving in his face though.

�That�s great, Annie!� Naruto said, he hoped,
enthusiastically. �I�ve got to go back in my meeting now. Can you sit here and
wait for me just a little while later?�

�I�m super hun�gy, daddy. I wan�
happy donalds,� Annette said.

�I know, baby. We�re going to go right after I get out of
the meeting�.� Naruto explained patiently even though he still felt like
banging his head against the wall in frustration.

The door next to him opened up and one of his coworkers, a
beautiful lady named Kurenai, stepped out into the
hall with them. She smiled and sat in the chair Annette had been in.

�Naruto, Laren said you should
just go ahead and take your daughter home,� Kurenai
said quietly. She seemed to hesitate before she said, �Naruto, I have to
ask�.why would you bring her to work with you? You know children aren�t allowed
here. We�ve been very understanding with giving you
the time off in order to help your new children get adjusted but�� she trailed
off as she caught sight of the distraught look on Naruto�s expressive face.
�It�s alright! We completely understand so don�t worry. We just wanted to let
you know that if you need to get information to us that it can be done by email
from now on. Well, at least until your vacation time is over in a month.�

�I�m really sorry. She was so upset when I told her I had to
go to work. I just�� Naruto sighed. �I couldn�t leave her like that.�

Kurenai looked at Naruto with a
small frown pinching her pretty features. She�d never, in all the time she�d
been working with him, seen Naruto this dejected. His shoulders were hunched,
his posture bogged down and he�d lost that bouncy personality that defined him.
She watched as Annette started crying over a stain on her shirt, one that Kurenai couldn�t see. She watched Naruto�s face grow brittle
as he tried to calm the child down. Concerned, she put a hand on his shoulder
and gave it a pat.

�Naruto�you know if you and Sasuke need some help�.�

Naruto smiled weakly at her as he hoisted Annette up on his
hip. �It�s ok. She�s just tired,� he said and walked away.

12:05 PM

Naruto pulled into his driveway, pushing the button to open
the garage, and checked in his rearview mirror to see if Annette was still
sleeping in her booster seat. She was. He heaved a sigh of relief. Pulling out
his phone he text messaged Mrs. Johnson and asked if she�d bring Minato over so
he could sneak Annette to her room for nap time. One good thing about Annette
was that once she was sleep, it took a marching band to wake her.

Naruto eased Annette out of the car, pausing as she stirred
a bit. As soon as she�d settled back into sleep, he continued into the house
and went straight to her room; laying her on her bed. He took her shoes off and
covered her with a blanket. A vibration in his pocket told him Mrs. Johnson had texted him back and he left Annette�s room, cracking the
door behind him. Walking down the stairs he read the text which told him that
Minato was already napping and that she�d bring him over when he woke up.

A true smile spread across Naruto�s face. He hadn�t had a
moment to himself since the day they�d brought Annette home little over two
months ago and he knew just what he was going to do.

3:00 PM

�Dada!�

Naruto cracked open a blurry eye, feeling a strong sense of deja-vu as he did so, and saw his son�s nut brown eyes
regarding him happily over the mattress of his bed. He stirred from his nest of
blankets and saw Mrs. Johnson bustling around the room picking up stray towels
and various toys that had migrated from the play room to find a home in his and
Sasuke�s.

�Mrs. Joh�son,� Naruto said
sleepily. �You don� have t��

�Oh don�t you worry about this,� Mrs. Johnson cut him off
with a wave of her thin hand. �I know what it�s like being a new parent. Never
enough sleep and even less time to clean!� She laughed and dumped the dirty
laundry in the hamper in the corner of the room.

Minato climbed up onto the bed and jumped on Naruto�s neck,
giggling and grinning. Naruto smiled and tugged him into the air above his
face.

�How�s my little man! Did you have fun?� Naruto said
excitedly (or as excitedly as he could manage being as tired as he still was).

Minato laughed and grabbed a fist full of blonde hair to tug
on. He tried to tell his daddy about his day in detail and was able to get
about three understandable words out.

Mrs. Johnson watched them with a soft smile on her face.
�He�s been talking non-stop all day. You just wait,
he�ll be talking so we can understand him in no time.�

Naruto grinned at her. �Yeah, I know. It�s amazing how smart
he is. He even surprises Sasuke sometimes with what he understands.� He
snickered then yawned; his jaws cracking with the force of it.

The old lady watched him with a frown. �You know, dear. You
really need to get some sleep. You�re not going to be any good to these babies
if you fall on your face.� She walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed.
�Don�t go acting macho if you can�t handle raising two kids at once, Naruto,�
she said in a serious, scolding tone. �There�s absolutely nothing wrong with
asking for help. Why, when I had my Danielle and Robert together I just knew I
was going to end up jumping out the nearest window!� She laughed and Naruto
laughed nervously with her. �Raising kids is hard, raising two is harder and
raising two that are adopted�.I�ll bet that�s the toughest.�

�It is,� Naruto said simply. He held Minato to him, looking
into his round, brown eyes. �I just don�t get why they�re so different.�
Whenever he looked into Minato�s eyes, Naruto could see the burning
intelligence in them. He could see that the little boy was there, soaking in
everything around him. However, when he looked into his daughter�s eyes he
saw�.nothing. It was like the child wasn�t home. No lights on upstairs. Naruto
sighed.

�Could be that girl was raised so different that her and
Minato there just aren�t on the same level. Or,� Mrs. Johnson paused. �Now
don�t go taking this wrong, but�it could just be that the girl is�.a little
touched in the head.�

�Touched?� Naruto asked, confused. He�d never heard that
term before.

�Autistic,� Mrs. Johnson clarified.

�No,� Naruto told her firmly. �The children�s home already
said they�d had her tested and that she wasn�t retarded. They just said she�d
need some extra handling because of how she was raised.�

�Did they tell you any details?�

�No�not really. They just assured
us that Annie had never been hurt or abused.�

Minato, being tired of all the talking and the serious
atmosphere, tackled his daddy and giggled when Naruto flailed dramatically and
fell back on the pillows of the bed. Mrs. Johnson laughed at the two and stood
up briskly.

�All right Minato, you come here,� she mock scolded and
grabbed the little boy�s stubby legs in a light grip.

They all laughed and play wrestled over the bed; Minato
grabbing Naruto�s neck while he made straggled noises while Mrs. Johnson tried
to �save� Naruto by �pulling� Minato off him.

Almost on cue, a screaming cry cut through their laughter.
Mrs. Johnson�s eyes grew large and she jerked around to stare at the open door
the sound was coming through.

�Is she ok?� she asked worriedly.

�She�s fine, she�s just letting me know she�s awake,� Naruto
told her. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, grabbing Minato with him
and putting him on the floor.

Mrs. Johnson looked at him and a wave of protectiveness rose
in her. Naruto looked so broken down at that moment that she went over to him.

�Now you listen to me,� she said softly, standing next to
him. �You�re going to leave these kids with me and go over to my house and
sleep, Naruto Uzumaki.

Blue eyes shot up to look at her in surprise. He sputtered
out that he couldn�t possibly�that he was fine and he could handle it but she
stopped him.

�Oh no, you�re not going to keep trying to do this on your
own until you drop. If you land in the hospital? What
then?�

�If I sleep now I�ll never get to sleep tonight,� Naruto
tried. He was feeling a little horrified that Mrs. Johnson thought so little of
his parenting that she would essentially kick him out of his own home.

Mrs. Johnson snorted. �Oh yes you will. You�re more tired
then you think you are,� she told him knowingly. �Don�t you worry about the babies. I can handle them for a few hours.�

She watched as Naruto flinched as Annette�s screams
continued and flinched herself when they upped in pitched. His shoulders
sagged.

�Ok. Thanks, Mrs. Johnson,� he said dejectedly.

�I�ve told you, you can call me Granny.� She wrapped a bony
arm around his broad shoulders and frowned at how light he felt as she helped
him stand. She scooped Minato up into her arms and herded Naruto to the front
door; having to pull him away from the stairs when he tried to go check on
Annette. �I told you I�d deal with the babies. Now you go over there and get
some sleep. The guest room has new sheets on the bed.� She placed her hand in
the middle of his back and gave him a boost out the door. �Now shoo!�

Naruto looked back at her with some amusement. �Ok, ok! I
get the point. Geez�kicked out of my own home.� He
pouted playfully and Minato laughed with Mrs. Johnson from his place on her hip.
�Thanks, Granny.�

Mrs. Johnson shooed him again and made a point of watching
him until he disappeared into her house. She shut the door behind her and put
Minato down. The little boy ran over to the stairs and immediately started
climbing up them. Annette hadn�t stopped screaming.

--*--

Breakfast was in full swing at the Uchiha-Uzumaki household
and Itachi was watching the chaos with raised eyebrows. So far his little
brother had been slapped, screamed at, smeared with syrup and had gotten into
nineteen different fights with Naruto.

Itachi looked at the clock on the microwave. It read, 8:14.

This morning he�d been peacefully sleeping in the little
garage apartment Sasuke had shown him last night when a shrill cry jolted him
awake at 5:30 am.

Five

Thirty

AM

To say he�d been upset would have been an understatement. Now
he was dealing with jet lag and lack of sleep and a screaming child that
refused to stop.

Sasuke walked over and sat next to him on the bench seat,
putting his cup of hot tea on the table before him. He rested his chin on his
hands and his elbows on the table. The both of them watched silently as Naruto flitted
back and forth between the kitchen and the table, trying to figure out what
Annette was screaming for. The little girl kept pointing at the kitchen but not
at anything in particular. Nor would she just say what is was she wanted.

�Annie, please!� Naruto pleaded. (Itachi watched with
interest as Sasuke flinched at his husband�s tone.) �Just tell me what you want?
Can you show me?�

Annette screeched and kicked the table, making the plates
and cups jump.

�You know you could help!� Naruto snapped at Sasuke.

�I already tried to help,� Sasuke shot back.

Annette kicked the table again and this time managed to catch
Itachi�s knee with her foot. Thankfully she was barefoot or it would have hurt,
rather than just startle, Itachi. He made a surprised sound and Sasuke rounded
on Annette with blazing eyes.

�Annette Rose! You cut that out now or I�m going to beat
your ass!� he yelled at her; finally fed up with the screaming and kicking.

Of course this only made Annette scream harder.

�Damn it, Sasuke! Don�t yell at her! You know she�s
sensitive,� Naruto yelled.

�She fucking kicked Itachi. I�m not going to be nice about
it,� Sasuke snarled back.

Itachi watched all this, one hand absently rubbing his knee
under the table, and his face hardened. He looked at the red faced Annette, at
the face of Minato who was actually watching him back calmly and finally at his
fighting brother and brother in law. All morning he�d done this; watched them.
He�d sat, back against the kitchen wall, sipping his hot tea and watched his
little brother�s family slowly fall apart.

All because of a little girl no taller
then his waist.

Itachi�s face grew stony and he stood up from the table. As
he left the kitchen, the fighting couple never noticed. Minato�s head tilted to
the side and he scrambled down to follow Itachi as the man walked out of the
kitchen and started climbing the stairs. He was grateful that Sasuke had given
him a quick tour of the house when they�d come in last night as he was able to
quickly find Annette�s room and go inside. Minato came behind him and walked
over to a large pink box full of Barbie�s. He grabbed the top of it and pulled
the whole thing over, dumping them out in a spill of plastic limbs and
artificial hair. He looked around expectantly and Itachi raised an eyebrow at
him before ignoring him and setting about doing what he�d come up there to do.

Less than five minutes later, Itachi came back into the
kitchen and set a small white suitcase next to the garage door. He went back to
the table and sat down. The scene hadn�t changed. Annette picked up her sippy cup and threw it across the kitchen in a fit and
Sasuke went to get it with a scowl on his face. Naruto walked over to Annette
and was about to speak when Itachi�s voice rang through the kitchen, easily
cutting through the noise even though he spoke at a normal volume.

�Ignore her.�

Everything stopped for a moment. Minato crawled up on
Itachi�s knee and then into his lap before crawling across him to sit beside
him on the bench. He put his hand on the little boy�s head and stroked his
hair.

�Huh?� Naruto said. He gave Itachi a confused look.

�Ignore her,� Itachi said blandly.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke and they shared a wide eyed
look. Annette finally calmed down and began eating her eggs as if nothing had
happened. Itachi almost rolled his eyes.

�Have you never thought that she might just be acting out for
attention?� he asked.

�Of course we have! You think we haven�t tried everything?�
Naruto snapped irritably. He leaned his hip on the kitchen island and crossed
his arms over his chest.

�What do you mean, big brother?�
Sasuke said quietly. His accent was thicker then Naruto had heard it in years
and it made him glance over at him a little worriedly.

�You spoil this child.� Itachi raised a hand for patience
when Naruto took a sharp breath to speak. �I understand why you do it. You
aren�t the only one who went through a foster system.� He gave Naruto a pointed
look that made the man calm down. �After what you told me last night, Sasuke,
and what I�ve seen this morning, you�re not doing her any good by catering to
her demands.�

�Demands?� Naruto�s anger and
frustration seemed to have diminished and he just looked confused and tired.

Sasuke walked over, sippy cup in
hand, and leaned next to Naruto on the island. His shoulder brushed against
Naruto�s and the man sighed and tilted his head closer to Sasuke�s.

�I�m th�tersty,� Annette
announced, never looking up from pushing the scrambled eggs around on her
plate.

Minato looked from Itachi�s calm face to the tired one�s of his parents before crawling off the bench, walking
around the table and sitting next to his sister. Round brown eyes gazed at the
eggs on Annette�s plate but the little boy didn�t try to sneak a bite like he
had with Itachi earlier. Sasuke straightened with a sigh and started to give
her the sippy cup but Itachi stopped him with a look.
He raised an eyebrow but stepped back, waiting to see what his brother had in
store.

Naruto, however, wasn�t so patient.

�Give her, her cup, Sasuke,� he snapped. The last thing he
wanted was for Annette to start screaming now that she was finally quiet.

�She didn�t ask for it,� Itachi told him, his eyes on
Annette and Minato. His lips quirked in one corner as Minato got so close to
Annette�s plate that he was practically sitting in her lap, his nose fairly touching
one of the pieces of egg.

�What do you mean? She said she was thirsty,� Naruto said,
confusion written on his face.

�Exactly.�

�Huh? You�re not making sense, Itachi.� Naruto�s voice was
becoming very heated. Sasuke put a hand on his arm but he shrugged it off,
glaring at Itachi.

Itachi looked up at him. �She didn�t ask for anything. She
simply said she was thirsty. You told me she�s almost four, correct?� He
continued when Sasuke nodded at him. �At her age, she is old enough that she
should be able to get her own drink and drink from a normal cup. You do her no
good by doing everything for her.�

It was like a light bulb went off in Naruto and Sasuke�s
head. They turned to each other in surprise. Annette glanced up with a confused
look on her face and turned around to find her parents. As if sensing his
chance, Minato grabbed a double handful of eggs and stuffed them in his mouth;
turning to Itachi with innocent eyes when the man laughed quietly. The sound
caught Annette�s attention and she turned back, catching her brother eating the
food she�d been playing in.

�Ahhhhh! Baby bra�yer, daddy!� She
screeched in outrage and raised her hand to hit Minato on the head.

Everyone blinked in shock as Itachi was just suddenly there
behind the children and picking Minato up out of her way. He whisked his nephew
out of the kitchen and took him into the living room. Sasuke, after a look at
Naruto, followed him. Naruto didn�t. He walked over to Annette but was stopped
by Itachi�s voice.

�Ignore her.�

Incredulous, Naruto turned to look at Itachi. �I can�t just
let her��

�Yes, you can.�

Naruto�.was furious. Months of
little to no sleep, endless frustrations, fighting and late nights wondering if
he was a horrible parent, lover, husband, caught up with him. He stalked over
to Itachi, red faced and fuming, and punched him in the face. He put all his
strength into it, trying to knock that calm, arrogant expression off of Itachi
face. Or at least he would have if Sasuke hadn�t grabbed his fist at the last
moment to stop him.

�What the fuck do you know?!� Naruto screamed. He tired to
get to Itachi but Sasuke had wrapped his arms around his upper arms and was
holding him fast. �You fucking think you can come in and tell me about my kids!
I�ve been taking care of them for months! I will not ignore her! She�s my baby,
my little girl and I�m not going to just�..just�� Blue eyes widened and rolled
wildly. �I bust my ass taking care of her and Minato and�.I��shit�� Naruto�s
voice grew weaker and tears started falling from his eyes. His hands stopped
reaching for Itachi�s throat and clawed at Sasuke�s arms that were holding him.
�I don�t want to hate her,� he whispered franticly.

Sasuke held him as Naruto literally broke down in his arms.
Tears of his own fell down his face and he looked imploringly at Itachi.

Itachi�s heart clenched in his chest.
He stepped up to his family and shocked them by hugging them. Naruto�s tear
streaked face lifted from Sasuke�s neck and Itachi leaned in and kissed him
chastely on his forehead.

�Let me help you,� Itachi said quietly. �Let me teach her
and I promise you she�ll be fine.�

It was quiet while Naruto searched Itachi�s eyes until a
loud crash sounded from the kitchen. The three adults turned to see Annette
staring at them blankly and her plate lying on the tile floor where she�d pushed
it off the table. Minato wandered over to see what had happened and crouched
down next to the fallen plate.

Naruto turned back to Itachi.

�Ok.�

________________________________________________________

Sorry it took so long for this chapter. Things came up. I
know how much it sucks when an author leaves you hanging with a cliffie.
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