The sequel! Because yet again this a oneshot (an epilog) gone too far! No one is surprised!
Chapters: 1/6
Warning: EXPLICIT SEX AND SMUT HECK YEAH. Summary:
Neji and Sasuke are a pair of loving husbands that only have each other because they're not able to have kids and are not allowed to adopt. They have kids of their family friends that they love like they're theirs but, of course, it's not the same. They still try to apply for adoption and until then... they only have each other.
This is a sequel of "Life Anew", a peek into their married life after they fall in love with each other.
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Chapter 1 (Words:3k)
On one cloudy day, the flowers are in full bloom. Neji cuts a handful of flowers from his garden and walks to the cemetery.
He cleans the old flowers from last month and leaves new ones at his father’s and mother’s tombstones. Neji prays for them and sits by them.
“Good afternoon father, mother.” Neji takes a deep breath, smiling, “When I married Sasuke, I immediately remember both of you. Father said you two barely know each other, but start as friends then begin to love each other then. A similar thing happens to me. I barely knew Sasuke, but now, I think he’s a good match for me. And I… I came here to tell you that I did come to love him, and he does, love me, despite…” Neji shakes his head and smiles, “I wished you get to meet him, he’s lovelier than what people think of him.”
AS silence follows, Neji imagines what would his parents think of what he just said. They’d be happy for him, of course, and they’d ask about how his marriage life is. It isn’t the first time Neji is talking to the dead and silent. He’s been talking to them ever since they’re lowered to the ground, he finds them easier to keep his secret and hear his prepubescent anger without judgment.
“Our relationship is going well. We’ve been married for three years, but he had to leave often. I miss him a lot, but he’s been returning more often than usual.” Neji can hear them talk to him, about the next step in their relationship. “Both of us want to have kids, but… well, it’s complicated, and it’s not going to be easy, but we’re trying on adoption.” Neji chuckles, “You know me, I’m not a person that easily gives up.” Neji hears the wind blows, and his parents give him good wishes.
“Thank you.” Neji lowers his head, “Goodbye, I’ll see you next month.”
There are still flowers left in his hands and he visits another grave that he never visited before.
It’s far behind the cemetery. The tombstone is surrounded by weeds, but it’s placed by a tree that casts a lovely shade. Neji cleans it up and places the first flower ever graced there. Neji prays, and sit down to talk.
“I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Neji, Uchiha Neji, so perhaps, we’re technically family,” He says to Itachi’s tombstone. It felt a little weird, like he’s doing something he shouldn’t. He never asked Sasuke if he could visit his brother, Neji just wants to. Maybe he’d tell him once he’s home.
“If he hasn’t told you, I am married to him for three years. He’s been doing well. He doesn’t talk a lot about you. Never at all.” Turns out, it’s different when he’s talking to someone he never met before. He couldn’t hear any voice replying to him. That explains how he only hears his father, and his mom is only an image beside his father.
“I know very little of your life, nor your relationship with Sasuke. I know you hurt him to save him, I don’t know how to feel about that. I hope that you loved him when you could.” Neji lowers his head, “Either way, I hope you are at peace. Please continue to look after him. Goodbye.”
Neji tries to find Sasuke’s parents next, but he rounded the cemetery and find none. Usually, clans have their own reserved area in the cemetery, but Itachi’s is placed outside the area and furthers away from the gate because of his circumstances.
Neji finally finds them, they are covered by tall overgrown grass. Neji spent hours de-weeding because it covered the entire Uchiha area. After he’s done, he can see dozens of tombstones that were hidden beneath grass from lack of visitors, until Neji.
Neji tries to find Sasuke’s parents again and finds them a little on the corner right. Neji gives them flowers, pray and talk. He bows deeply as a son-in-law would.
“Hello, I’m your son-in-law, Uchiha Neji.” Neji pauses, and just like before, he heard no one responding. He finds that he doesn’t know what to say to Sasuke’s parents. Not like Itachi that he gains some knowledge off. “Sasuke is well, I try my best to take care of him as he takes care of me. He’s a lovely person, despite his scars. I wonder whether or not you’d be surprised to see what he had become now. It would’ve been nice if we ever get to meet, I would love to hear how Sasuke was as a child, before… before everything.” Neji sighs, “He’s off the village a lot, and I hope you continue to look after him when I can’t.” Neji bows again and stands to leave.
Neji had never done this before. Not even three years ago when Neji just got married to Sasuke. But things are different now. Their marriage is finally emotionally real. They are in an attempt of building a family, and Neji felt that this talk with his in-laws has to begin from now on.
It’s a little sad that their core family, both Neji’s and Sasuke, are all gone. It feels a bit too quiet with just the two of them. Neji is patient though, once they have children, their family would expand.
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Sasuke returns every six months the longest. More often these days, he’d return once in three months, sometimes once a month when Neji is lucky. Sasuke would stay a day or a week, more if he had tied up his knots and only sent away to investigate a new lead coming in. Neji cherishes every single second that they have. They’re not the type of couple that shows expression publically. No one ever sees them holding hands when they were outside having dates. Not even Naruto nor Hinata nor his team knows of the recent romantic development with his husband and him.
Neji doesn’t mind too much, he likes having Sasuke to himself. Having him melt just when it’s just two of them in their little home.
One day, Sasuke returns just in time when Sakura gave birth to another child.
When Sakura is in labor, Neji is there as Lee’s emotional support. Turns out he’s needed more than he thought. Lee is inside the labor room with Sakura, the only man strong enough to handle Sakura’s mountain-shattering grip. The couple has a lot of people supporting them. The Yamanaka's, Lee’s team, Kakashi, and the Uzumaki's. Once Sarada is born, this group of grown adults makes completely juvenile cooing noises at a baby that luckily hasn’t developed complete hearing.
Neji sticks around to watch Sarada as Lee takes Metal to school and handles a few urgent businesses for his friend's peace of mind. Lee had to cry before he leaves, but he trusts Neji completely enough to eventually leave.
Neji doesn’t do anything as he’s on standby in Sakura’s hospital room in case any of them needs anything. Sakura doesn’t need Neji’s help though, she is in a hospital full of capable doctors and nurses, Neji is just visiting. He leans on the side of the crib and watches the baby’s deep sleep. He couldn’t look away for some reason. She’s so small and so adorable, he wants to touch her plump cheeks but opted wisely not to.
Someone knocks at the open door. Sasuke peeks in, and Neji instantly smiles.
“Sasuke, welcome back.”
“I’m back, I’ve heard the news from Naruto,” Sasuke nods and walks in. Sakura is still asleep, looking battered and snoring. “Was it a hard labor?”
“It sounded like it, but Lee stayed with her through the whole process.”
“That’s good.”
Neji stands, giving Sasuke a quick kiss on his lips, “Come here, this is Sarada.”
Sasuke’s expression softens even more at the sight of the newborn baby. They both sit on the chair on each side of the hospital crib. They say no other words, just looking down and marveling at the baby as they hold hands. Neji wonders if Sasuke is as mesmerized as Neji at the miracle of life laying in the simple crib.
“How long have you been here staring at her?” Sasuke finally says.
Neji chuckles very lightly, wary from waking up the baby or her boisterous mother, “I don’t know, I lost track of time.”
Sasuke smiles, “I think I would too.” Neji watches as Sasuke looks down with one of his fondest expressions.
Neji watches how his husband’s expression melts at the sight of Sarada. A dreamy thought passes his mind. One day when they have a child of their own, Sasuke would wait on them like this, lovingly, tenderly. Neji had never been surer of his husband and he, that they’re ready. They just need to get approved.
“What?” Sasuke asks when he catches Neji staring.
“I think you’d make a great dad.”
Sasuke scoffs, but pink dusted his cheekbones, “I think you would too.”
“Thank you.”
“You guys are so cute,” says a weak voice. The pair looks back and finds Sakura with open eyes, smiling weakly.
“How are you feeling?” Sasuke asks.
“Like I just pushed a watermelon out of my vagina.”
“Great,” Sasuke brushed off the comment like it’s nothing while Neji is still flustered. “Need anything?”
“Water please.”
“I got it,” Neji pats Sasuke’s shoulder as left.
Neji steps out of the room, getting water, a few bottles of energy drinks, and a pack of energy bars. It’s probably not enough, maybe he should make her a proper meal.
“…You shouldn’t have given up,” he hears Sakura says as he approaches her room.
“We’re not, Sakura. We always re-apply even though we’re rejected. There are various reasons why we’re deemed not qualified, and you know what it is,” Sasuke says, and Neji immediately knows what they’re talking about.
Neji knocks on the door, “Sorry for interrupting. I got you a few things, Sakura.”
“Thanks, Neji.” She immediately goes for the bottled water and protein bar.
“I can cook you something if you want,” Neji offers.
“Really?? That’d be great! Metal kept raving about how good your udon is. Do you have some?”
“I do.”
“My husband isn’t your personal chef,” Sasuke scoffs.
“No, he isn’t, but he’s a hell of a good friend that doesn’t come and go without a goodbye.”
Sasuke rolls his eyes, “Let it go pink thing.”
“Only when you get better manners, emo boy.” Sakura huffs, “Honestly, how did I have a crush on you for so long?”
“Yeah, thank you for growing out of that by the way,” Sasuke retorts.
Neji chuckles at their antics, “Sasuke, don’t forget to take care of her, she just gave birth yesterday.”
“Aw Neji! See? Why can’t you be more like your husband?”
“Ugh, what are you, my mom?”
Neji can’t stop smiling from hearing them bicker as he left. Though, as he’s left alone with his thoughts, he remembers Sasuke’s and Sakura’s conversation. Neji knew it was about their adoption requests. They’ve been applying for a year, and they get rejected every time. Whenever they have feedback of the reason for rejection it had sounded captious. Even so, they refuse to give up. He’s not giving up on his family.
Neji returns with a bowl of his homemade udon and vegetable katsu. Sakura’s room has the addition of the Uzumaki's. Boruto and Himawari are surrounding Sasuke as he’s holding Sarada. Neji smiles fondly at the scene, his husband would’ve been a great father. He’s been through a lot of heartbreak that teaches him how to be kind. Sasuke looks at him and smiles adorably as if showing how touched he is by the baby in his arm.
Neji joins him on the couch after he set a table for Sakura to eat and after he washes his hands. It’s a nice feeling, leaning on his husband while looking down a newborn baby and humoring their niece and nephew that are as enamored at the bundle of joy as they are. Sasuke and Neji share a look and smile at each other with an undertone of hope only they can see. Still, for now, it feels nice just to hold their friend’s child and be surrounded by their niece and nephews which they’ll cherish like they’re theirs.
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On the way home, Sasuke says, “Are you the one visiting Itachi’s grave?”
Neji is slightly surprised, both that Sasuke knew and that Sasuke visits Itachi at all, “Yes, how did you know?”
“The flowers are from our garden, and only you who would see a mess and can’t help but clean it up,” Sasuke scoffs.
Neji clicks his tongue, he doesn’t think he’s such a ‘neat-freak’ that Sasuke often says he is. “Am I not allowed to visit?”
“No, it’s okay… I just don’t know why you would.”
“I was visiting my parents, and I thought might as well…” Neji looks to his husband. “I thought you never visited your brother.”
“I do, but only when I returned, and very rarely.”
Their walk is accompanied by silence again. Not until they finally leave the crowded residential area and halfway towards their house that Neji ask. “You don’t talk about Itachi a lot, do you not want to?” Because now is any good time to talk about it if Sasuke has boundaries about this.
Sasuke shrugs, “I don’t know what to talk about.”
“Were you not close?”
“On the contrary. When I was a kid, he was the cool big brother, and I kept tailing him everywhere. He’s the type of big brother that dotes on me, always pinching my cheeks and I hated it so much, but I always let him anyway,” Sasuke chuckles mirthlessly. “He was always busy without ever telling me with what. Realized all too late that he was an Anbu.”
It wasn’t unusual for teens and even pre-teens to enroll for Anbu then, when war was still happening and soldiers are desperately needed. Still, it was sad to hear Itachi had to do what he had to do at such a young age and to be weighted by the decision.
Sasuke continues, “I do love him.” Sasuke gazes towards their home that’s far in the distance, “But sometimes I don’t know what to think of him.”
Neji tries and fails to understand what Sasuke feels. Neji’s own loss of his father was caused by his father’s loyalty and he had only sacrificed himself, and not the whole clan like Itachi did.
“What do you usually talk to him about when you visit?”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, “Talk? To the dead?”
“Yes, well, I’d like to think their spirits are around to hear us.”
Sasuke studies him, looking incredulously and also with curiosity, “What do you usually talk about with your parents?”
“All kinds of things. About the house, Jike, my failed attempt at being an Anbu, and most recently, you,” Neji says, bumping shoulders with Sasuke. “I imagine what their reaction would be and we talk.”
“As if they’re still alive?”
Neji shakes his head, “As if they left an ear behind.”
Sasuke seems to contemplate it for a few seconds. His face is somber, voice even, when he says, “It was a whiplash. One moment I loathed him, the next I loved him like nothing ever happened. He was forced to kill all of our clan members at the threat of my life. I had forgiven him instantly, and redirected all my hate to this village… I couldn’t face my parents because of that.”
Neji fails to see the correlation, “Why would that be?”
“I didn’t care my brother had killed my clan, along with my parents, because I’ve forgiven him.”
“I think, just because you’ve forgiven Itachi, doesn’t mean you didn’t care about your parents. Loss and forgiveness aren’t a straightforward path,” Neji says. He knew, back when he was cordial with his uncle. “You love Itachi, you love your parents too. Both of that can co-exist whether you forgive Itachi or not.”
Sasuke looks at him like he just said something wild.
They continue to walk, and Neji continues, “I asked your parents what you were like as a kid, I told them I hoped we got to meet, like that.”
Sasuke smiles a little sadly, “As my friend, they would like you. You’re ambitious, quiet, and I was boisterous when I was a kid, they would think that you’d calm me down and made me learn from you.”
Neji chuckles, “I think I remembered you as a kid running around. matching Naruto’s energy.”
“Yes, and I was always begging for Itachi’s attention.” Sasuke muses, “As my husband, they wouldn’t allow it.”
“Allow?”
“On marrying you, just like the Hyuuga, we kept our lineage pure, and to make sure the partner is able to carry a lineage.”
“Ah,” Neji says blankly, “That’s true.” Has it really been that long since he’s out of the clan that he forgot? Oh well, it’s not a piece of information he would miss remembering.
“And as a Hyuuga, they’d hate you.”
Neji chuckles, how did he forget that bit too?
“But Itachi would’ve loved you.”
“That sounds like a lot of different opinions. Which one would win?”
“I wouldn’t know, my parents have always been complicated.” Sasuke’s eyes cast down, “I don’t remember a lot about them, but I do remember the duality of my mother loving us just the way we are, and my father loving us for the Uchiha that we have to be.”
Sasuke talks the rest of their walk. Once they’re home, Sasuke continues to talk. The way Sasuke seems to talk about his parents seems bittersweet. He doesn’t remember much about them, but when he does, it’s sweet. Most of his memory of his family is with Itachi, and that’s been more bitter than sweet.
Neji didn’t expect Sasuke would tell him anything, but he does, and Neji keeps Sasuke’s tender memories within a secure heart.
